KUALA LUMPUR: No special unit needs to be set up by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to manage the remains of those killed in major accidents or airplane crashes.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said Jakim had enough manpower and religious officers placed in hospitals around the country who could be deployed for the purpose.

“Our religious officers are always ready if there is a need for them to be deployed to other countries or to manage such incidences. So, there is no need to set up a special department or unit just for that,” he said after an appreciation ceremony for 14 Jakim officers who conducted funeral rites for victims of the MH17 plane crash.

Among the officers were the grand Imam of Putra Mosque, Abdul Manaf Mat, who received a certificate of appreciation from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Parliament yesterday.

Najib thanked the officers for their work and expressed his appreciation.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, with 298 people on board including 15 crew members, crashed at Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, near the border with Russia, on July 17.

The plane is believed to have been shot down by a missile while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, but to date, no party has claimed responsibility.

-NST