Dutch authorities have determined identity of 16 of the demised passengers of the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines (flight MH17) plane that crashed on July 17, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in remarks to the local media broadcast on Wednesday.
The Malaysian Government is currently seeking to bring back home the bodies of these victims, the minister said, adding that efforts would continue with the Netherlands to identify the other victims of the tragic incident, noting all the victims "would be accorded full honoring" when brought back home.
"We need to stand together to help in consoling families of the ill-fated plane victims during this delicate period of time," minister Lai said in his remarks to the Malaysian media.
The plane, which boarded 283 passengers and 15 crew members, crashed in eastern Ukraine while on a flight from the Dutch capital to Kuala Lumpur. The passengers, who all perished in the tragic incident, included citizens from Malaysia, Holland, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand.
The aircraft was believed to have been shot down with a missile fired from the ground in the troubled region.