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REX/IBL
World News

Plane crash bodies taken to the Netherlands

The transfer of the bodies from flight MH17 comes after extensive pressure on the pro-Russian rebels guarding the site.

International leaders including David Cameron and Barak Obama have both said they believe the rebels are to blame for the crash and shot it down using a surface to air missile.

The aircraft came down last Thursday killing all 298 people on board.

REX

Debris at the crash site.

Crash site in Eastern Ukraine

Speaking to Premier The Bishop of Coventry, The Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth said we should be focusing our prayers on the need to return the bodies.

"It is the most appalling situation for families who know that their loved ones have died and are not be able to retrieve the bodies.

"To see the bodies humped about in black body bags and treated without the respect that the human body deserves, it is heart breaking, it is soul destroying," he said.

Revd John Mosey from Blackpool lost his daughter in the Lockerbie bombing. He told Premier the families would be distraught looking at the images on the news.

"We had several days wondering where our daughter's body was lying, four days left out with the animals and in the weather," he said.

He said it was important the remains and possessions were returned as soon as possible so families can grieve properly.

"That's very hard, not to get belongings back, and to have the site trampled over by the wrong sort of people."

The Netherlands had the highest death toll from the disaster with 193 victims coming from the country.

On Sunday a memorial service was held at St Vitus Catholic Church in Hilversum.

Gerrit Mastenbroek lost a family member in the crash

Three entire families from the city and the son of a fourth were on board the aircraft when it was reportedly hit by a rocket above Eastern Ukraine.

Father Julius Dresme led the service and told Premier's News Hour: "The first moment people are crying and then they are very angry and then they are very confused about what happened.

"It's so terrible, so unreasonable, so unexpected, how can you react?"

Early on Tuesday the plane's black boxes were handed over to Malaysian authorities.

Hear how Revd John Mosey's belief in God helped him when his daughter died in the Lockerbie bombing:

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