Rebels hand over black boxes

UNSC demands intl probe, 'unrestricted' access to crash site

• Bodies to be flown to Netherlands today
• Identification process of victims begins

Donetsk (Ukraine): Rebels controlling the crash site of Malaysian flight MH17 on Tuesday handed over the plane's black boxes, and declared a localised truce to allow international experts full access to the forensic minefield in east Ukraine.

Meanwhile, forensic experts have begun identifying the victims of the MH17 plane crash in Ukraine, international police say. It has emerged that only 200 bodies arrived in Kharkiv - not 282 as claimed by the rebels, Dutch officials said.

The first bodies from the MH17 crash in Ukraine will be flown on Wednesday to the Netherlands, where their identification could take months, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. "Tomorrow the first plane (with bodies) will leave for Eindhoven" in the southern Netherlands, Rutte told journalists after the bodies arrived in Ukraine's Kharkiv town from rebel-held territory.

"Preparations will be made in Kharkiv so that identification can be done in the Netherlands as well as possible," Rutte said. "As soon as a victim is identified, first and foremost the family will be informed and no one else. That can take weeks or months."

Meawhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to do everything possible to influence pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and help ensure a full probe into the plane crash. However he added that it would not be enough with Kiev's continuing military operation against the rebels, adding that the West must push Ukraine's authorities to declare a ceasefire.

"Russia will do everything in its power for a full, comprehensive, deep and transparent investigation," Putin told a meeting of the national security council, according to excerpts broadcast by Russian state television.

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for an international probe into the downing of the plane and demanded that armed groups allow investigators "full and unrestricted" access to the crash site.

The 15-nation Council adopted the Australian-drafted resolution and condemned "in the strongest terms" the downing of the flight. Russia also supported the resolution after intense negotiations resulted in some changes to the text, including terming the incident as "downing" of the airliner instead of "shooting down."

"The resolution supported efforts to establish 'a full, thorough and independent international investigation' into the incident in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines."