KHARKIV
An international team began examinations on the bodies from the downed Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Tuesday.
The Boeing 777-200, en-route to Amsterdam from Kuala Lumpur, was downed Thursday near Hrabove in Donetsk, Ukraine -- about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Ukrainian-Russian border, killing all 298 people, 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board.
A train carrying the bodies of 282 out of the 298 people on the downed Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 reached the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday.
An international team, consisting of 90 experts and 30 diplomats, started to examine the bodies, said Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister, Volodymyr Groysman at a press conference.
The bodies will be sent to the Netherlands for further inspection before being brought to Malaysia.
Groysman said that Russia continues with its military attacks on Ukraine, and added military assistance from Russia should be cut.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday calling for “a full, thorough and independent international investigation into the incident in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines."
Meanwhile, the EU demanded the international investigation team be granted prompt access to all elements of the incident without any intervention, and those who are directly or indirectly involved in the downing of the plane be brought to trial.
The EU foreign ministers decided to accelerate the process for further sanctions against Russia over the country's alleged efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine and its occupation of Crimea.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton said the possible sanctions on Russia will become clear on Thursday.
Previously, the EU imposed travel sanctions and asset freezes against officials from Russia.
EU foreign ministers also wanted Russia to withdraw their troops from the Ukranian border, and to stop the transit of militants and weapons over the border.
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