Minister advises MH17 next-of-kin not to view remains, says Star newspaper

Family members of victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have been advised not to view the remains of their loved ones as they were not in perfect condition. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 16, 2014.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim has urged family members of victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 not to view the remains of their loved ones as they were not in perfect condition, The Star reported today.

She said the next-of-kin had been advised against viewing the remains but added that they could still do so if they wished.

“Our counsellors have advised the next-of-kin to not view the remains but if they insist, they can do so at the burial or cremation ground where their private ceremonies may be held," she was quoted as saying.

"“This is because the bodies are not in an ordinary state and perhaps it is best for the families to remember the departed in their most perfect memory."

The report said that the religious rites would be performed on the victims, according to their respective beliefs, which includes bathing of the body for Muslim victims.

Rohani said the remains would then be vacuum-packed before being sealed in a coffin and sent home.

The remains will be given a ceremonial reception at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's Bunga Raya Complex upon reaching home next Friday.

They will then be brought to their final resting place as per the families’ request.

“Some have asked for the remains to be cremated, buried or sent to their homes. It is entirely up to the families," Rohani was quoted as saying.

“We have assigned caregivers and one counsellor to each family. They will continue to provide their services even after the remains have been laid to rest.”

Malaysia has declared a national day of mourning for the victims of MH17 on August 22, when the remains of 16 people killed in the tragedy are set to arrive from the Netherlands.

Authorities say that 15 of the 16 bodies to be brought back are those of Malaysians, while the last is a Dutch national.

At least two Malaysian women on board are known to have been married to Dutch citizens.

Twenty-four of the 43 Malaysians on the flight have been identified by Dutch investigators almost a month after the Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 298 people was downed on July 17, suspected to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile.

"The names of the victims will be released on the day they are brought back to Malaysia," Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said previously.

Of the 43 Malaysians, 15 were crew members and two infants. The plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down in a separatist-held area of Ukraine.

- TMI