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Recovery effort at crash site in Ukraine nearly over

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The recovery operation at the crash site of a Russian airliner in eastern Ukraine is nearly over, and the remains of all the victims have been found, the emergencies services said Thursday.
MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - The recovery operation at the crash site of a Russian airliner in eastern Ukraine is nearly over, and the remains of all the victims have been found, the emergencies services said Thursday.

At least 170 people were killed, including 45 children, when the three-engine Tu-154 jet came down en route from a Black Sea resort to St. Petersburg in stormy weather 30 miles north of the regional center of Donetsk Tuesday.

"Russian and Ukrainian rescuers are now mopping up the area to make sure that all the bodies, body parts and the plane wreckage have been collected," said Yulia Stadnikova, spokeswoman for the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry.

She said Russian and Ukrainian experts have started identifying the bodies and examining the wreckage. Both flight recorders found at the site have been brought to Moscow.

At least 125 relatives of those who died in the crash gathered earlier Thursday at the site of the tragedy, where a cross and a memorial were placed in memory of the victims.

Psychologists from both countries are continuing to assist relatives, Stadnikova said.

However, the airline that operated the crashed plane and the ministries of both countries differ over the number of passengers on the flight.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and Ukraine's transport minister reported earlier Thursday that 171 bodies have been recovered.

But Pulkovo Airlines, which owned the Tu-154, reiterated Thursday that a total of 170 people were on board the plane. It first announced the figure Wednesday.

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