Crash vicitms to be flown home

Crash victims to be flown home
March 11, 2007 - 9:23AM

The remains of five Australians who died in a Garuda Indonesia plane crash last week will be brought home aboard a Royal Australian Airforce plane, possibly on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says.

"All five Australians will be brought back on a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft during the course of this week, we think it's likely that they'll be brought back on Wednesday," Mr Downer told ABC TV.

Family members will also be flown home by the government, aboard a Qantas flight.

"The secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the head of AusAid and the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police will all travel with the bodies coming back on the C-130," Mr Downer said.

The Australians killed in the crash were federal police officers Brice Steele and Mark Scott, diplomat Elizabeth O'Neill, journalist Morgan Mellish and AusAID's Allison Sudradjat.

Mr Downer said the four associated with the government were all tied to Australia's Jakarta embassy.

"It's certainly without precedent, there's no question of that.

"This is an embassy that has done it very tough, you'll remember back in September 2004 the embassy in Jakarta was bombed and ten locally engaged people died on that occasion.

"So in terms of the Australians who have died, it's unprecedented."

AAP