PUTRAJAYA : The much photographed train containing MH17 body bags was moving out of the troubled Torez to Government-controlled Kharkiv en route to Amsterdam, AFP reports at 12.39am.
This follows a breakthrough phone conversation between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Alexander Borodai, the now globally recognisable rebel leader in command of the region where the tragedy occurred.
Najib who has been on the phone with the “who’s who” of world leaders , said there were three major decisions :
a) transfer of the remains
b) handing over of the black box
c) independent international investigators will be guaranteed safe access to the crash site.
A day of heightened anxiety over the fate of the remains culminated in the midnight Press conference by Najib.
Moments earlier NST journalist, Leslie Andres covering unfolding events in Kiev reported that the Malaysian team now operating in the Ukranian capital would be shifting to Amsterdam.
As it turns out there is where the remains will be heading.
In Kharkiv the remains of 282 will be handed over to representatives from the Netherlands.
There are by six Malaysian members of the recovery team on the train.
The remains will then be flown to Amsterdam on board a Dutch C130 Hercules, together with the Malaysian team.
Following necessary forensic work, Najib said the remains of Malaysian citizens will then be flown home to Malaysia.
“In recent days, we have been working behind the scenes to establish contact with those in charge of the MH17 crash site.
“That contact has now been made. Under difficult and fluid circumstances, we have been discussing the problems that have occupied us all: securing vital evidence from the aircraft, launching an independent investigation, and above all recovering the remains of those who lost their lives.” He said in his official residence in Seri Perdana, here.
The two black boxes will be handed over to a Malaysian team in Donetsk, who will take custody of them at about 9pm tonight Ukraine time (5am, Tuesday Malaysian time).
Additional reporting , A. Azim Idris and Predeep Nambiar