Yemenia crash victims' bodies sent home

SANA'A, Yemen, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The bodies of eight crew members of a Yemeni airliner that crashed in June are coming home, officials said Tuesday.

The crew members' bodies were to arrive in San'a Tuesday from Moroni, capital of Comoros, accompanied by the deceased's relatives and Yemenia Airways officials, the official news agency SABA reported.

The crew members and 144 others were killed June 30 when Yemenia Flight 626 plunged into the Indian Ocean, with only one passenger, a 12-year-old girl, found alive.

Yemeni officials said the crew members hailed from Yemen, Ethiopia and Morocco, and their families are free to bury them where they prefer, most likely in their home countries.

Ceremonies to honor the victims were to be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Sana'a after funeral services were conducted Sunday in Moroni, SABA said.