Bodies of 3 crewmembers from Boeing that crashed near Bishkek sent to Turkey
BISHKEK. Jan 19 (Interfax) - The bodies of three crewmembers from the Boeing 747-400 cargo plane, which fell on a village near Bishkek on Monday, have been sent to Turkey, the Kyrgyz government's press service told Interfax on Thursday.
"The 'cargo 200' was dispatched on Bishkek-Istanbul flight no. 349 at 7:55 a.m. today," the press service said.
"The bodies were handed over to representatives of Turkey's Embassy in Bishkek yesterday. The identified bodies of three crewmembers - Ibrahim Diranci, Kazim Ondul and Ihsan Koca - were identified visually and were held at the Republican Forensic Examination Center of Kyrgyzstan," the press service said.
The body of the fourth presumed crewmember from the Boeing 747-400 remains at the forensic examination center.
A center spokesman told Interfax earlier that "the body will be transferred to the Turkish side following a DNA test because it [the body] was scorched."
"A DNA test is required in order to precisely identify the body. Only after the victim's identity is established through this test, we will hand it over to the Turkish side," he said.
"Such a procedure is needed in order to make sure that it is the pilot's body. The Turkish side plans to take samples from the body and carry out a test in Turkey," he said.
A Turkish air carrier's Boeing 747-400 cargo jet crashed on a village in the vicinity of Manas Airport as it attempted to land on January 16. The latest reports put the death toll from the accident at 38 people, including four crewmembers, who were Turkish citizens. The plane fell on residential areas, mostly killing local residents with wreckage.
