Ukraine ends operation to search for human remains at MH17 crash site

Ukrainian authorities on Friday officially announced an end of an operation to search for human remains at the MH17 crash site. Gennady Zubko, the head of the government commission investigating the crash, said that 297 bodies had been found, and 295 of them were identified, Gazeta.ru reported. The bodies were repatriated to the Netherlands, according to the official. The Netherlands also said earlier this month that it had ended the search for human remains, personal belongings and wreckage. The Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur is believed to have been shot down on July 17 last year over the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard, mostly Dutch citizens.