The bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died when a passenger plane was accidentally shot down by Iran have arrived in Ukraine for a farewell ceremony on Sunday.
They were among the 176 people killed in the Jan. 8 catastrophe, when a Ukrainian Airlines plane was brought down shortly after takeoff from Tehran.
The bodies were brought to Kiev's Boryspil Airport aboard a Ukrainian air force plane.
An honor guard solemnly carried the coffins into the airport terminal, where a farewell observance is to last until the evening.
Meanwhile, the Iranian official leading the investigation into the accident appeared to backtrack Sunday on plans to send the flight recorders abroad for analysis, a day after saying they would be sent to Kiev, the Associated Press reported.
Hassan Rezaeifar was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying “the flight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we have no plans to send them out.”
Iran is working to recover the data and cabin recordings, and it may send the flight recorders to Ukraine or France, he said.
“But as of yet, we have made no decision.” Rezaeifar noted.
The military has said it downed Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 in error in the aftermath of tit-for-tat strikes by the US and Iran. Authorities delayed revealing these details which lead to days of protests on Iran's streets.
According to Reuters, the plane disaster has heightened international pressure on Tehran as it grapples with a long-running dispute with Washington over its nuclear programme and its influence in the
region.
Ukraine has previously said it expected the recorders to be handed over, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said France was one of the few countries with the ability to read information on the recorders.
Meanwhile, France's air accident agency BEA said on Saturday it was awaiting an official request for assistance.
