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Situation at MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine still arouses concern - Malaysian DM

An international team of investigators had worked at the Malaysian Boeing crash site for less than a week and had to leave the area on August 6 due to security reasons

© AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File

SINGAPORE, September 07 /ITAR-TASS/. Malaysia’s Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Sunday he was concerned over situation around the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine and the security of the Malaysian probe team, despite the ceasefire declared by the conflicting parties.

Hussein, who is leaving for Ukraine within hours, said that the key purpose of his visit would be to ensure safe access of the investigators to the MH17 crash site. Apart from that, he said he would also discuss possible joining the Malaysian probe team of 30 investigators, who were to leave for Ukraine on Monday, by experts from Australia and the Netherlands.

An international team of investigators had worked at the Malaysian Boeing crash site for less than a week and had to leave the area on August 6 due to security reasons. Malaysia’s Police Chief Ali Abu Bakar said that the experts had managed to inspect less than half of the crash area. They left without taking any fragments away from the crash site.

On Saturday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia had convincing intelligence data about the crash causes but it was necessary to collective evidence at the crash site. He said it was important to get to the crash area before the arrival of winter. It would take several weeks to gather the evidence and search for the victims’ remains, Razak said.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 which was on route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on July 17. All the 298 people onboard died.

According to preliminary reports, international forensic experts who are trying to identify the crash victims at a military base in the Netherlands have revealed 283 unique DNA samples retrieved from the Boeing 777 crash site. The bodies of 173 passengers have been identified.

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Versions of MH17 crash in Ukraine's Donetsk region

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