His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), and Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday received the bodies of five Jordanian officers who died in a plane crash in Haiti last Friday.

The five men were laid to rest in their native towns later in the day.

Following the landing of the plane carrying the officers' bodies at Queen Alia International Airport, 10 army personnel acted as pall-bearers for each of the five flag-draped coffins, passing in front of the guards of honour to the sound of a military band playing Beating the Retreat.

Royal family members, senior officers and officials and families of the fallen officers, were present upon the arrival of the bodies of Colonel Obeidallah Mawajdeh, Lieutenant Colonel Jihad Mheirat, First Lieutenant Bilal Abu Hjeileh, First Warrant Officer Amer Rawashdeh and Major Ibrahim Mohammad Shorman.

Their mission in Haiti started nearly three months ago.

At the airport, Their Majesties met with the families of the officers and offered condolences.

King Abdullah expressed his pride in the officers, who, he said, performed their duties and honourably represented their country.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff General Khalid Sarayreh referred to the King's directives to have a presence in all places where humanitarian duties are needed, adding: "We always expect surprises. We do not cry over our martyrs; we take pride in them."

Sarayreh told reporters that the “JAF is always committed to sacrificing and carrying the humanitarian message of Jordan inside and abroad”, stressing that the message is one that seeks to preserve peace in the world.

The officers died when the UN plane transporting them crashed while on a regular reconnaissance flight. Six Uruguayan officers on board were also killed in the crash.