Garuda crash victims arrive home

The bodies of five Australians killed in last week's Garuda airline disaster arrived home from Indonesia this morning.A Royal Australian Air Force Hercules carrying the remains touched down at Canberra's Fairbairn air base just before 9am (AEDT).

 

It was greeted by about 100 family, friends and officials, including Governor-General Michael Jeffery, Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty.

The caskets carrying federal police agents Brice Steele and Mark Scott, Australian embassy spokeswoman Liz O'Neill, AusAID worker Allison Sudradjat and journalist Morgan Mellish left Indonesia after a short ceremony at Yogyakarta yesterday.

This morning, 20 AFP officers marched onto the tarmac and went into the Hercules, followed by AFP drummer Steve Terrance.

Mr Mellish's coffin was brought out first, draped in the Australian flag.