The first two convoys of each four trucks with wreckage of the MH17 flight disaster have arrived at the Dutch air force base Gilze-Rijen, in the province of North Brabant, on Tuesday just after 2 p.m. (1300 GMT).

The first convoy of trucks left the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv last Wednesday and crossed the German-Dutch border last night. They passed around 40 relatives of the victims, who were present in an area designed especially for them at the airbase.

Unlike the arrival of the remains of the victims at Eindhoven Air Base in the past months the arrival of the wreckage didn't have a ceremonial character.

The relatives were not permitted to be present during the opening or unloading of the trucks. At a later stage they will have the opportunity to see the wreckage.

The parts of the aircraft will be photographed, scanned and categorized. The investigation of the wreckage and preparation for the reconstruction effort will then start. In the beginning of next year parts of the aircraft will be reconstructed, also as part of the investigation into the cause of the crash.

A designated hangar at the air force base has been cleared especially for the investigation of the wreckage. Here, investigation teams led by the Dutch Safety Board will investigate the cause and progress of the crash. At the same time, investigation teams of the police will conduct a criminal investigation in the same hangar under the management of the Dutch Public Prosecution Service.

"The investigations by the Dutch Safety Board and the Public Prosecution Service will be conducted separately and independently of each other," the Safety Board stated. "As it is vital to both investigations that the wreckage can be examined, agreements have been made."

With the arrival at Gilze-Rijen, two of the four convoys carrying wreckage have now reached their destination. The other two convoys are still on their way and are expected to arrive in the Netherlands during the course of this week.

The Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight crashed on July 17 this year, killing 298 people, of which 292 victims have been identified yet. Due to the insecurity in the area the recovery of the wreckage only started on Sunday Nov. 16 and was completed one week later. Endit

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