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Bodies of 11 Ukrainians killed in Iran plane crash sent home

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died when an Iranian missile shot down a passenger plane have arrived in Ukraine for a farewell ceremony.

They were among the 176 people killed in the Jan. 8 catastrophe, when a Ukrainian Airlines plane heading to Kyiv was brought down shortly after takeoff from Tehran. Iran acknowledged three days later that the plane was mistakenly hit by an anti-aircraft missile.

On Sunday, the bodies were brought to Kyiv's Boryspil Airport aboard a Ukrainian air force plane. An honor guard solemnly carried the coffins into the airport terminal, where a farewell observance is to last until the evening.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, a motorcade of hearses carry the bodies of the eleven Ukrainian victims of the Ukrainian 737-800 plane that crashed on the outskirts of Tehran, at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. An Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people has crashed just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport on Jan. 8, 2020. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, centre, and Ukraine's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, centre right, seen before a memorial ceremony at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. An Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people has crashed just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport on Jan. 8, 2020. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, honor guards carry a coffin of the one of the eleven Ukrainian victims of the Ukrainian 737-800 plane that crashed on the outskirts of Tehran, during a memorial ceremony at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. An Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people has crashed just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport on Jan. 8, 2020. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) The Associated Press
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