Large-scale investigation of Malaysian airliner crash starts

KIEV/MOSCOW, July 18 (Itar-Tass) - A large-scale investigation of the crash of a Malaysian Airlines passenger plane Boeing-777 has begun. Notably, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine and self-defence forces in the southeast of the country as well as the United States stated that they are prepared to assist in investigation. Meanwhile, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) has closed the Ukrainian air space for civilian airplanes. Malaysian Airlines passenger plane Boeing-777 was on a flight from the Dutch city of Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The airliner crashed in east Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Thursday. A total of 295 people, including all passengers and crewmembers, died in the air crash. According to preliminary reports, the airliner was carrying 71 Dutchmen, 23 passengers from the United States, nine British citizens and four Frenchmen among others. No Russians were on board the airliner, Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov said. Kiev authorities accused Russia and Ukrainian militias almost immediately after the air disaster that they might be involved in the airplane crash. However, Russian military and self-defence forces in southeast Ukraine rejected strongly this accusation stating that the militia do not have weapons that can hit airplanes at the high altitude. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko demanded to set up a state committee involving ICAO specialists and representatives of the Netherlands and Malaysia to probe the airplane tragedy. “Ukrainian military forces did not take any actions to hit air targets,” the Ukrainian presidential press service said. For his part, Chairman of the Supreme Council Presidium of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin believes that Ukrainian armed forces were connected to the air crash in east Ukraine. “We intend to believe that this was done by Ukrainian military forces,” he said, adding that “The Donetsk People’s Republic is ready to permit international specialists to conduct a more detailed and quicker investigation of the air crash. This is in our interests. We do not feel our guilt for this. We do not have specific radar stations or specialists.” The Malaysian Defence Ministry does not have confirmations that this airliner had been downed. Defence Minister of the Southeast Asian kingdom Hishammuddin Hussein stated that authorities of the country were still checking coming reports. The U.S. does not have any information about details of the air crash, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated. U.S. Transportation Security Administration told Itar-Tass that they were collecting information about the airplane’s tragedy. Learn more on itar-tass.com