EINDHOVEN, Netherlands -- Strangers fondled their luggage, read their diaries, and pored over their effects spread out in the burned field of the crash site: Teddy bears, magazines, I love Amsterdam T-shirts. According to some reports, credit cards, cell phone and even a wedding ring were looted. And for days, the bodies just lay there -- some only partially clothed.
Today, the first victims were returned to the Netherlands and finally honored, almost a week after they were killed as Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down, reportedly by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Indrukwekkend, ontroerend, waardig #MH17 pic.twitter.com/Cml3R5Il7Q— Michiel Servaes (@michielservaes) July 23, 2014
(In Dutch, the tweet said: "Impressive, moving, dignified # MH17")
A Dutch military aircraft carried sixteen bodies and another plane from the Royal Australian Air Force brought the remains of 24 others to the Netherlands.
After the planes touched down on the tarmac at Eindhoven Airbase, there was a moment of silence before Dutch military personnel marched in small formations to take the coffins out of the Dutch and Australian aircrafts.
The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, tweeted a picture of the scene at the airstrip:
Devastating. Heart goes out to the families in these dark days. MT @DanLinden Scene at Eindhoven Airport, Netherlands pic.twitter.com/4HQNoc6CWh— Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) July 23, 2014
On Wednesday, a national day of mourning in the Netherlands which suffered the highest toll in the airplane crash, the newspaper the Algemeen Dagblad featured an all black cover with the text: 'A day of national mourning. Today The Netherlands commemorates the victims of the disaster of flight MH17.'
Inside the newspaper, there was an interview with the mother of Robin Hemelrijk, a 17-year-old victim. The teenager had never traveled beyond Europe, the mother said. She told the interviewer she wanted to bury her child in the most beautiful place in the world, to put him to rest.
Whether Sylvia, the mother of Robin, was present at the ceremony at the airport, is unknown. But thousands of other people showed up -- both relatives and those who simply wanted to show their respect, including the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as well as Dutch and Belgian royals. It was an emotional day for everyone. Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans was captured in a photograph, hugging one of the relatives of the victims.
Our King, Queen and Prime Minister at Eindhoven airport overseeing the dignified & respectful return of #MH17 victims pic.twitter.com/W4XaiOjKKP— LaetitiavandenAssum (@lvandenassum) July 23, 2014
In the capital Amsterdam, many people wore black and flags hung at half mast throughout the city. Thousands of people gathered on flyovers along the route of procession.
Applause in honor of MH17 victims as procession arrives at military barracks pic.twitter.com/BTfEnAWIyU— Michael van Poppel (@mpoppel) July 23, 2014
Over the coming days, the remains of the other victims of flight MH17 will arrive to Eindhoven.
To those who attended the event at the airport, there was a sense of mourning but also a sense that the victims were finally receiving their final respects.