Train departs Donetsk with MH17 crash victims

Following an intense diplomatic battle between Russia and the Netherlands, the bodies of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 victims are finally on their way out of rebel stronghold Donetsk, Ukraine. The bodies were initially examined by Dutch forensic investigators on Monday, nearly four-and-a-half days after the plane was struck by a surface-to-air missile. The train left Donetsk station for Kharkiv, according to RTL television reporter Jeroen Akkermans. A Dutch military transport plane is in Kharkiv, set to bring all of the plane’s ill-fated passengers back to the Netherlands, including those of people not from the Netherlands. https://twitter.com/JeroenAkkermans/statuses/491465640990224384 The bodies were stored by pro-Russian separatists in refrigerated train cars near the crash site in Torez. Yesterday, the train left for Donetsk at 6 p.m. but was hit with a myriad of delays, including reports of damaged rail lines, problems with the train itself, and fighting between Ukraine’s military and the separatists. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, July 17. The plane departed Amsterdam Schiphol airport on its way to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Including 15 crew members, 298 people were on board, of which 193 had Dutch nationality. https://twitter.com/PalkotLondon/status/491472317231284225