The remains of Malaysian victims of the MH17 disaster arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
It’s a somber day in Malaysia as the first remains of the 43 victims killed in the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy have arrived in Kuala Lumpur. It’s been over a month since Flight MH17 was shot out of the skies above eastern Ukraine.
Friday, the bodies of 20 Malaysian passengers returned home. Families gathered at the airport to await their arrival from Amsterdam. Uniformed pall-bearers from Malaysia’s armed forces carried the coffins that were draped in the Malaysian flag.
[Image: Vincent Thian/AP]
There were 298 passengers and crew on Flight MH17 that died in the July 17 crash. Authorities believe the plane was shot down by a missile fired by pro-Russian rebels, who have since denied their involvement. According to ABC News, of those aboard the flight, 193 were Dutch and 43 were Malaysian, including 15 crew members. There were also 38 Australian citizens killed.
As the bodies returned home, a day of mourning has been put into place, along with a moment of silence in the country of 28 million people.
Dutch authorities are leading the investigation on the incident.