MH17: DVI experts have identified a number of Malaysians, says Najib

AMSTERDAM: The remains of a number of Malaysian passengers have been identified by disaster victim identification (DVI) experts in Hilversum, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He stressed, however, that the investigation team first needed to complete the examination of all 226 coffins over the coming weeks.

Najib said that 126 coffins had already been opened and that the remains examined since the first batch of coffins arrived from Ukraine last Wednesday.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to arrive at a “conclusion beyond doubt” about the victims’ identities via the DVI process before information could be released.

“The last thing we want to do is return the wrong body parts. It will be a very traumatic process for the families,” he told reporters before leaving the Netherlands on Friday.

Najib said he expected the DVI examination to yield more conclusive results in around two weeks.

“We might then be able to decide when we can bring home the victims,” he said.

In the DVI process, experts compare the ante-mortem (before death) data of the victims including fingerprints and dental charts with the post-mortem data gathered.

Their DNA samples are also compared with that of their closest relatives.

“Besides victim identification, the experts are also collecting any evidence from the victims’ remains that can be linked to the crime committed,” Najib said, adding that these two simultaneous processes would require a longer time.