11 bodies of Ukrainians who were on board the Boeing 737-800 that was mistakenly shot down by Iranian military have finally returned home on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the solemn ceremony for the victims, as the country waits for the allegedly delayed arrival of the downed jet's black boxes.
According to The New York Times, Ukrainians went to the airport to pay their respects of their fallen countrymen. In photos of the victims' bodies' arrival, some people went down on their knees as the coffins were carried across the airport.
Another photo shows Zelensky in a black suit, surrounded by the masses, as he solemnly looks at the memorial photos of the victims. Compared to the reaction of Canada, Ukraine has been more "patient" as the country continues to wait for more details on the tragedy's probe.
Iran has admitted to mistakenly shooting down the Ukraine Airlines Boeing 737-800 passenger jet where 176 passengers and flight crewmembers were killed. Foreign ministers have called on more transparency from Tehran regarding the investigation.
It was initially expected that the black boxes of the fallen jet would be turned over to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv but director at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Hassan Rezaeifar, said the agency will try to look into the black boxes.
Rezaeifar further revealed that "no decision has been taken so far to send them to another country," referring to the recovered black boxes that should help investigators have a better understanding of the last moments of the crew before the plane was shot down.
Ukraine has been pressured in diplomatic terms as the United States and Iran threw blame on the other for the tragedy. Ukrainian masses joined Canadians in calling for compensation as well as justice for the accident.
It is also worth noting that the Ukrainian jet's shooting down took place just hours after Tehran launched an airstrike on two Iraqi bases where American troops were being housed.
The missile attacks came in retaliation to the White House after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Iranian top military chief Qasem Soleimani. While initial reports suggested that there were no casualties or injured U.S. troops, it turns out there were soldiers sent to the hospital.
According to Vox, Defense One reported late last week that 11 American troops were injured due to Iran's retaliation. The injured troops have been treated accordingly and continue to be observed for other potential symptoms.
Iran has also reiterated that the U.S. is to blame for the recent incidents as it escalated tensions with Tehran for Soleimani's killing.
