MH17: Over 100 people working to recover remains and wreckage

Two weeks after the crash of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17, police officers, experts, and even Ukrainian volunteers continue their search and recovery work in eastern Ukraine.

In a press statement on Sunday, the head of the recovery mission Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said that over 100 people are working to recover humans remains and the plane's wreckage from the new base in Soledar with representatives from the Australian and Malaysian authorities.

He explained that in order to cope with the physically and psychologically taxing work, the team works on a rotation schedule, where fifty people will arrive from Kharkiv, and fifty others leave Kharkiv to recuperate.

Kharkiv is where the forensic specialists are carrying out primary forensic checks to the recovered remains and personal belongings, with the first flight shipment scheduled Monday.

“This flight will transport what was recovered on Friday and Saturday, and the DNA material that was stored in a mortuary in Donetsk,” said Pieter.

Meanwhile in a field near Rozsypne village, a team of 109 people consisting of 54 Dutch and 34 Australian forensic specialists, worked under the hot sun for almost six hours collecting pieces of wreckage.

Only personal belongings of the victims were found in the six square kilometer area and no human remains were found.

“Personal belongings were also recovered in Torez, south of the crash site. The victims' luggage was being stored in a train wagon placed there a while ago,”

“Thanks to the negotiations performed by the OSCE, we succeeded today to reach the wagon. The seal on the wagon was still intact and the suitcases, bags and cameras inside seemed untouched. The personal belongings were taken to Soledar. From there, they will be transferred to Kharkiv,” he added.

Pieter also announced that the Malaysian team will be joining in on the search at the western part of the crash site Monday, “but that will depend on the security of the situation”.