Malaysians demand bodies of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 passengers before the end of Ramadan

The relatives of those lost on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are growing impatient in their quest to bury their loved ones.

Gathered at a hotel conference room in Putrajaya, just south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was headed, the families of those lost discussed the need to bury the deceased. While the majority of the attendants at the Marriott Hotel were joyously celebrating Ramadan's daily fasting break, those who lost loved ones in Thursday's tragedy came together to share grief — and demand action.

"We need to get the bodies home to expedite the burials," Zulrusdi bin Haji Mohamad Hol, whose cousin was a passenger on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, told Time. "Otherwise, how will our family members get peace?"

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The families want to bury the deceased before the end of Ramadan, but the plane's crash site is still limited to international investigators, as pro-Russian separatists have been accused of tampering with evidence.

One of the rebel leaders agreed Sunday to return the bodies to the International Civil Aviation Organization, but Ukraine's government and international investigators have not agreed to a deal with the separatists. While Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has promised to recover the bodies by next week, when Ramadan's fasting period ends, cooperation between the rebels and Ukraine has yet to be achieved.

"I'm very angry," Zulrusdi told Time. "They're inhumane, they don't understand. First they murder our relatives, then they keep the corpses with them."