Advertisement
Investigation

MH17 black boxes show crash caused by rocket shrapnel, says Ukrainian official

The investigators leading the probe in the Netherlands would not give confirmation.

THE BLACK BOXES recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in rebel-held east Ukraine show shrapnel from a rocket explosion caused the passenger jet to crash, a Ukrainian security official said today.

International investigators “indicated that data from flight recorders show that the reason for the destruction and crash of the plane was massive explosive decompression arising from multiple shrapnel perforations from a rocket explosion,” said Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council.

Ukraine Plane AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Data from the doomed airliner’s black boxes was decrypted in Britain after being handed over to Malaysian officials by pro-Russian rebels controlling the crash site of MH17.

Investigators leading the probe in the Netherlands, which lost 193 citizens, refused to confirm the latest information from Kiev, saying that they were “waiting to get a more complete idea of what happened.”

Kiev and its Western allies have accused insurgents of shooting down the plane, killing all 298 people on board.

Ukraine Plane utch investigators examine pieces of the crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in the village of Rassipne, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

In Moscow, the head of the Russian experts participating in the crash probe, criticised Lysenko for commenting publicly without the authorisation of the chief of the investigation as is required by international agreements.

Oleg Storchevoi, the deputy head of Russia’s air regulator, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Ukraine has “violated the basic principles of cooperation in the investigation of air crashes”.

© AFP, 2014

Read: Downing of flight MH17 ‘may amount to a war crime’>

Read: This is the Jon Snow video on Gaza that everyone’s talking about>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
229
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.