News
Preliminary report on MH17 to be released next week
Sept. 4, 2014, Amsterdam, Ned. - Dutch authorities leading an international investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine plan to publish a preliminary report Sept. 9 into the disaster that killed all 298 people on board.
September 4, 2014 By The Associated Press
The Dutch Safety Board said in a statement Thursday the report "will
present factual information based on sources available" to its
investigators.
Spokesman Wim van der Weegen said those sources include
satellite imagery, radar details and data from the plane's "black box"
recorders.
Investigators have not visited
the site in conflict-ravaged Ukraine where wreckage of the plane plunged
to the ground on July 17, though they do have photos, Van der Weegen
said.
The report will set out what investigators believe happened, but will not apportion blame.
"What this investigation does is compare all these sources, and see whether they agree," he said.
"The investigation is still in
full swing and the definitive report will be released within a year,
according to international civil aviation rules."
Flight 17 was shot down while flying from
Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over an area of Ukraine controlled by
pro-Russia separatists. Victims came from 10 different nations — most of
them were Dutch, but there were also many Malaysians and Australians.
Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine have publicly
denied responsibility for shooting down the craft, but one top rebel has
told The Associated Press they were involved.
The Netherlands is co-ordinating
criminal investigations into the disaster by multiple countries,
including the Netherlands, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, and Belgium.
Remains of many — but probably not all — victims
were gathered in the days after the crash and flown to the Netherlands
for identification. 183 have been identified so far.
Searches of the crash site were halted Aug. 6 due to concerns that fighting in the immediate area was a threat for searchers.
