Bodies of 11 Ukrainians killed in Iran plane crash sent home

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, honor guard carry a coffin of the one of the eleven Ukrainian victims of the Ukrainian 737-800 plane that crashed on the outskirts of Tehran, at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. An Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people has crashed just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport on Jan. 8, 2020. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
By Associated Press
Published: January 19, 2020 06:42 PM

KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 19: The bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died when an Iranian missile shot down a passenger plane have arrived in Ukraine for a farewell ceremony.

They were among the 176 people killed in the Jan. 8 catastrophe, when a Ukrainian Airlines plane heading to Kyiv was brought down shortly after takeoff from Tehran. Iran acknowledged three days later that the plane was mistakenly hit by an anti-aircraft missile.

On Sunday, the bodies were brought to Kyiv’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.