Rocket shrapnel downed MH17?

Rocket shrapnel downed MH17?

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 10:07 AM IST
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A pro-Russian fighter guarding the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine. |

Global sleuths indicate that data from black boxes show that the crash was caused by rocket shrapnel

Kiev : 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 on Monday.

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,” Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said.

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 on the doomed jet — 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.

UN hints at

war crime

Meanwhile, the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 “may amount to a war crime”, the UN said on Monday, adding that fighting in east Ukraine has claimed over 1,100 lives with both government and rebel forces using heavy weaponry in built-up areas.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned the ‘horrendous shooting down’ of the Malaysian passenger jet in rebel-held territory that killed all 298 people on board, and demanded a ‘thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigation’.

“This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime,” she said in a statement. “Every effort will be made to ensure that anyone committing serious violations of international law including war crimes will be brought to justice, no matter who they are,” Pillay said.

Reeling under the pressure of two catastrophic aviation tragedies, Malaysia Airlines is mulling a name change and restructuring of routes in a bid to repair its reputation, a media report has said.

The Malaysian flag carrier, majority-owned by the government, is likely to change its name as part of a radical overhaul and also seek new investors to rebuild its business after two major tragedies within six months killing 537 people, The Telegraph reported.

In March, MH370, which was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, lost touch with air traffic control, an hour after take-off.

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