A train carrying the bodies of nearly 300 people killed in the crash of a Malaysian airliner in Ukraine arrived in the government-controlled eastern city of Kharkiv Tuesday, as a senior pro-Russia separatist leader handed over the plane’s black boxes to Malaysian experts.
The train arrived Tuesday morning from the town of Torez, which is controlled by pro-Russian rebel forces. The bodies are to be handed over to the Netherlands, the country that lost the highest number of nationals in the crash and which will take on the task of identifying the remains. The train arrived just before 9 a.m. local time.
Earlier, rebels in eastern Ukraine handed over the downed jetliner’s flight data recorders to Malaysian aviation experts in the eastern city of Donetsk.
“The black boxes have been returned to their owners, the Malaysians,” rebel leader Alexander Borodai said. “We have just signed a protocol that says Malaysia will give the boxes to experts” at the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Malaysian Colonel Mohamed Sakri said the boxes sustained some damage, but were “intact” and in “good condition.”
Also Tuesday, Russia said it was ready to offer full cooperation with an international investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 after backing the U.N. Security Council resolution on the probe.
