Remains of five more MH17 crash victims to arrive on Friday

The remains of another five victims of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Flight MH17 tragedy will arrive in Malaysia this Friday at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 8.30am.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in a statement, here, today said this would be the sixth arrival of remains, repatriated to Malaysia from Amsterdam.

"These remains will be accorded full military honours," he said in the statement.

The remains of Muhammad Afruz Tambi, the last member of the late Tambi Jiee's family who perished in the tragedy, will be arriving home along with Liew Yau Chee, Lee Kiah Yeen, Meling Anak Mula and Mathew Ezekial Sivagnanam.

Liow said with this arrival, 42 of the Malaysians, who perished on board MH17 would have been returned to their next of kin.

"So far, 27 passengers and 15 crew members have been identified from the total number (43) of Malaysians on board the flight," he said.

Liow, who is also MCA pesident, also called on all Malaysians to respect the privacy of the families and next of kin of the MH17 passengers, during the difficult time.

"As they lay their loved ones to rest, we pray that they may find the courage and strength to weather through this tragic loss," he said.

Liow said Malaysia would continue to ensure that the remaining victim would be home soon and finally laid to rest.

MH17 with 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board is believed to have been shot down by a missile while heading to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam on July 17, and crashed in eastern Ukraine.

Other than Malaysians, the passengers were from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand.