Remains of MH17 pilots coming home tomorrow

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said two of the seven Malaysian victims, comprising three passengers and four crew, were Muslims.

He said the remains, in five caskets and four urns, would arrive on a commercial flight from Amsterdam and was scheduled to arrive at the Bunga Raya Complex, KL International Airport for the ceremony to honour the victims at 8.30am.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as cabinet members and the next-of-kin and relatives of the victims would be at the ceremony, he told a media conference here today.

On the remains of the Dutch nationals, he said they were of Paul Goes and Fan Shun Po.

He said the remains of five of the victims would be taken to their respective burial/cremation grounds using hearses while those of the other four would be flown by EC725 helicopters to destinations as requested by their next-of-kin.

The remains of two of them would be flown to the Bayan Lepas International Airport, Penang while those of the other two to Bukit Mertajam and Teluk Intan, respectively, he added.

For the remains to be flown to Bukit Mertajam, he said, it would first be transferred into a hearse to be taken to Taman Skyline, Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

"So far, we have succeeded in repatriating the remains of 24 Malaysian victims, 12 of whom are Muslims," he said, adding that the victims included 14 passengers and the others, the MH17 crew.

With the remains of seven more Malaysian victims to be repatriated tomorrow, this brings to a total of 31 Malaysian victims identified in the tragedy.

Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said all preparations for the funerals, as requested by the next-of-kin of the victims, had been made.