Bodies of Russian journalists, killed in the Central African Republic (CAR), will be transported to Russia on Friday at approximately 05:00 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT), the Russian Embassy in the CAR told Sputnik.
“Today at 17:00 the bodies will be sent. We are now working on the process of transportation of the bodies,” the embassy’s spokesperson said.
According to the spokesperson, equipment and documents of the murdered journalists had not been found yet.
He also noted that the Russian diplomatic mission was unaware of the timeline for sending Russian investigators to the African country to probe into the murder.
On Tuesday, Russian nationals Kyrill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguev and Orkhan Dzhemal were killed near the CAR city of Sibut. The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a criminal investigation into the case.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, there were no signs of torture on the bodiesof journalists, while doctors found only gunshot wounds. The Ministry added that the embassy is in contact with the local authorities to prepare the transportation of the bodies of the journalists to Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s consular department website has meanwhile warned against visiting the CAR, where law enforcement forces “are, in fact, not functioning and one cannot count on their assistance in case of trouble.” The ministry added that security situation in the CAR remains complicated, citing regular armed robberies, killings and attacks on foreigners.