DUSHANBE, October 14, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The source at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) told Asia-plus on Tuesday that Tajikistan has received the bodies of 509 of its citizens from the Russian Federation in January-September 2009.

According to him, sixty-seven of them had been killed.  201 died of illnesses, 203 were killed in different accidents, 13 committed suicide, and the cause of death was unknown in 22 cases. 

Last year, fifty-nine Tajik nationals were killed by violence in Russia, the MoI source said.  

Of 509 coffins bearing Tajik citizens returned to Tajikistan from Russian over the first nine months of this year, 153 were returned to the Khatlon province.