Bodies of 20 Malaysian victims of MH17 crash arrive in Kuala Lumpur

The plane carrying the bodies of 20 Malaysian victims of MH17 crash have finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the national day of mourning as two minutes of silence is observed.

A chartered plane that took off from Amsterdam landed in Kuala Lumpur around 2:00 GMT. 

Malaysian King Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, Prime Minister Najib Razak and several top officials were present at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to receive the bodies.

National flags will be flying at half mast as the national mourning day is observed, reports the BBC.

A few Malaysian soldiers marched up to the plane and escorted the bodies as they were unloaded.  All the coffins were draped in the Malaysian national flag.

The first batch of the remains will be accorded a full military ceremony in the presence of the dignitaries.

Prime Minister Najib had yesterday called on all Malaysians to unite as one nation in observing a minute of silence in honour the victims of the MH17 tragedy. 

People across the country observed a minute of silence at 10:55 am (0255 GMT) after a Malaysia Airlines plane landed with the remains of 20 of the 43 Malaysians killed in the crash on July 17 that left all 298 on board dead.

"No words can express the sense of loss in seeing the bodies return, my prayers are with the victims and families of #MH17," Najib said on his Twitter feed.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said three of the 20 remains had been cremated in the Netherlands and would be brought home in urns.