Special flight will deliver aircrash victims to Russia

A special flight will deliver the remains of passengers of the Russian Tu-154 airliner to Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan (an autonomous republic within Russia), according to the Bashkortostan President press service.

A Bashkir Airlines plane carrying the relatives of those killed in the accident, doctors, psychologists, and interpreters arrived in Germany on Thursday.

The relatives are expected to stay one day in Germany, where they will visit the site of the tragedy, possibly take part in the identification of the bodies, and return to Ufa early on Friday morning (about 3 AM, Moscow time).

The passengers' remains will be delivered to Ufa later.

According to a German criminal police representative, the bodies of several Russians killed in the aircrash over Germany have been preliminary identified, but only a DNA expertise will give the final response.

A total of 35 out of 68 bodies have been subjected to the medico-legal expertise and prepared for the DNA analysis.

A Bashkir Airlines Tu-154 airliner collided with a DHL Boeing 757 cargo aircraft on the height of 11,000 metres over the Boden Lake in Germany on July 2nd at night.

On board the Tu 154 were 12 members of the crew and 57 passengers: 52 children going to a resort and 5 adults accompanying them. Two pilots were aboard the Boeing. All were killed.