SEMENYIH: Most of the 12 Malaysian Chinese victims on board the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH17 flight will be cremated in the Netherlands first before their remains are returned to Malaysia.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the families of almost all 12 victims had consented to this move but could not specify the exact number that had agreed.
“So far, two Malaysians have been identified in the ongoing post mortem in the Netherlands, which is expected to be completed in the coming week.
“We don’t know when the remains can be sent back to Malaysia but we will coordinate with the Dutch authorities to ensure they can be returned as soon as possible,” he told reporters after attending the Nirvana Memorial Garden’s Enlightenment Ceremony here yesterday.
The annual ceremony, held for the 24th time this year, was also conducted in conjunction with prayers for the MH17 victims.
Liow, who heads the committee to oversee the last rites for the MH17 victims, said the date for the country’s national day of mourning over the incident will be fixed once all bodies were identified.
“This is an important occasion. We are currently coordinating the efforts for this event.
“At the same time, the search for remains continues at the crash site in Ukraine. Unfortunately, due to safety reasons, the investigation team has encountered a lot of hiccups,” he said.
Liow said he hoped the Ukraine authorities will offer assistance and separatist groups will cooperate so that search efforts can be completed quickly.
“This is because there is only a small window of opportunity for us to complete the job before any war breaks out in that region,” he said.
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, carrying 298 people on board, crashed in eastern Ukraine after it was shot down.
Some 43 people on the flight, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, were Malaysians.
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