( CNN ) -- Forensic experts exhumed the remains of former Chilean President Salvador Allende on Monday as part of an investigation into whether he killed himself or was assassinated during a 1973 military coup , the medical branch of the country 's Justice Ministry said . Official accounts ruled the leftist leader 's death a suicide , saying that he shot himself -- with a gun that was reportedly a gift from Fidel Castro -- as Gen. Augusto Pinochet 's troops closed in on the presidential palace . But some of Allende 's supporters have long doubted that account . A judge ordered the exhumation in April as part of a massive investigation of 726 reported human rights violations during Pinochet 's rule , CNN Chile reported . `` The people want to know . This is something that the country needs , '' said Minister Mario Carroza , the judge in charge of the investigation into Allende 's death . Politicians stood solemnly beside the Allende family 's crypt at a Santiago cemetery Monday as investigators wearing white gloves carried his remains in a flag-draped casket , images from CNN Chile showed . At a nearby laboratory , an international team of experts in archaeology , anthropology , forensics , pathology and ballistics had already begun taking X-ray images of the remains Monday morning , Chile 's Legal Medical Service said in a statement . In the coming days , scientists will send bone specimens from the coffin and blood samples from Allende 's two daughters and a granddaughter to a laboratory in Innsbruk , Austria , for DNA testing , the statement said . The agency 's head said he was hesitant to establish a time frame for the investigation , noting that many steps remained in the analysis . `` It is necessary to open the casket , look at the preservation of the bone fragments , analyze if there is other related evidence , of clothing , et cetera . ... to obtain the information the judge has requested , '' said Dr. Patricio Bustos , national director of the agency , which is part of Chile 's Justice Ministry . Whatever the investigation 's results , they will likely resonate across the South American country , said Peter Hakim , president emeritus of the Inter-American Dialogue , a nonpartisan policy institute in Washington . `` Allende is still a hero for many on the left in Chile . He was a historic figure because he was the first socialist leader ever elected in the hemisphere . ... This is a man who still commands a considerable degree of respect , '' Hakim said . Allende 's daughter , Sen. Isabel Allende , told CNN Chile her family believed the official account of what caused her father 's death . `` The family has no doubt , we never have , '' she said . A statement posted on her website Monday said the family was `` reaffirming what we have said all these years , our conviction is that President Allende made the decision to die ... in defense of the mandate that was given to him by the people . '' Human rights attorney Eduardo Contreras told reporters that Monday 's exhumation was a key step . `` A process has started that could end in finally establishing that it was a suicide or that it involved a homicide , '' he said . `` The important thing is to know the truth . '' CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report .
NEW : Bone and blood samples will be sent to an Austrian lab for DNA tests . White-gloved investigators carry the former president 's flag-draped coffin . Official accounts have ruled Allende 's death a suicide , but a new investigation is under way . Score: 6 This is something that the country needs , '' a judge says .