VIDEO-MH17 crash report: Live updates as investigators unveil findings into plane tragedy that killed 298 - Mirror Online
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has claimed the Dutch Safety Board’s report is biased.
It’s a source of regret that, despite all Russia’s repeated and lengthy attempts to organise the investigation in such a way that it is comprehensive and unbiased, and for it to consider all the information we have [...] there is an obvious attempt to draw a biased conclusion, and carry out political orders.
14:26 Breaking news
Criminal investigation will not finish this year
A separate and ongoing investigation into the criminal aspects of the MH17 tragedy will not conclude this year, it has been revealed.
While today’s report from the Dutch Safety Board laid out what happened and how, it did not attribute blame to any party.
Those who are directly responsible will be identified by the criminal investigation - but that will have to wait.
14:13 Key event
White House statement in full
The White House has called the Dutch Safety Board’s report on MH17 crash “milestone” this afternoon.
The United States will fully support all efforts to bring to justice those responsible.
Our assessment is unchanged - MH17 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.
The victims and their loved ones remain in our thoughts and prayers.
14:10
Russia hits back at report's findings
Russia has claimed that the Dutch Safety Board’s report into the MH17 disaster gives “no grounds” to say that pro-Putin rebels shot the plane down.
Diplomatic tension is rising between Holland and Russia, as the Dutch PM now demands Putin fully takes part in the ongoing criminal investigation into last July’s tragedy.
13:52 Key event
Missile launch site 'was held by pro-Russian rebels'
It has emerged that the area identified by the Dutch Safety Board where the Russian-made missile would have come from was held by pro-Russian rebels in the Ukraine at the time.
The White House, reacting to the report, has said that today is an “important milestone in the effort to hold accountable those responsible”.
13:45
Many military airplanes and helicopters shot down in the weeks before MH17 tragedy
Chairman of the Dutch Safety Board Tjibbe Joustra has revealed that many military airplanes and helicopters were shot down in the same area of eastern Ukraine in the weeks leading up to the MH17 disaster.
In the month before the crash, at least 16 military airplanes and helicopters were shot down in the eastern part of Ukraine.
13:38 Tweet
More detail on the impact of missile explosion on passengers
This is the section of the report that outlines the impact an explosion would have had on passengers.
The Dutch Safety Board says it cannot rule out that some passengers could have been conscious for more than 60 seconds after the explosion.
13:33 Key event
Passengers 'may have been conscious for 60 seconds' after explosion
The Dutch Safety Board report has outlined the possibility that some passengers may have still been conscious for more than a minute following the explosion from a Russian-made missile which hit the left side of the plane’s cockpit.
[It] cannot be ruled out that some occupants remained conscious for some time during the one to one-and-a-half minutes for which the crash lasted.
This contradicts an earlier assessment from investigators, which assured families that victims would have not felt a thing.
13:24 Key event
Dutch PM demands Russia provides 'complete cooperation' with criminal investigation
The Dutch PM has demanded that Russia provides “complete cooperation” with the ongoing criminal investigation into the crash following today’s revelations.
Mark Rutte has said that the priority now is “tracing and prosecuting the perpetrators” after it was revealed MH17 was downed by a Russian-made missile.
13:02 Key event
Everything we learned from Dutch Safety Board's report
- The crash of flight MH17 on July 17, 2014, was caused by the detonation of a 9N314M-type warhead launched from the eastern part of Ukraine using a Russian-made BUK missile system
- A rocket exploded next to the left side of the cockpit, killing three members of the cabin crew immediately
- The plane then began to fall to pieces in the air, with wreckage spread across 15 square kilometres
- Ukraine had sufficient reason to close the airspace over the eastern part of Ukraine as a precaution before the incident
- None of the parties involved however had yet recognised the risk posed to civil aircraft by the armed conflict between pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian authorities
- 160 planes were in the area at the time
12:50
Dutch Safety Board's presentation now finished
The Dutch Safety Board’s presentation has now finished.
Investigators found that MH17 was shot over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made BUK missile.
That caused an explosion which saw the plane fall to pieces in the air.
12:43 Key event
Russia 'refuse to endorse our conclusions'
The Dutch Safety Board has now revealed how Russia was at odds with investigators while it was being carried out.
“Not all representatives endorsed the conclusion,” the conference was told.
Russia say it is not possible to determine what type of missile struck MH17 with certainty.
12:40 Key event
'Rocket hit left side of the cockpit'
The Russian-made rocket hit the left side of the cockpit, the conference has now been told.
Crew members present were instantly killed, and an explosion prompted the plane to fall to pieces across 15 square kilometres.
The plane had no technical defect, nor was it hit by a meteor.
“These other possibilities were discredited one by one,” the Dutch Safety Board has said.
160 planes were flying in the area at the time.
12:34
Dutch Safety Board say it was 'difficult' to recover wreckage
The Dutch Safety board has now said that it was a “difficult” process in obtaining the wreckage, as it was the scene of conflict between Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian rebels.
Pieces of wreckage were still being collected just two weeks ago - more than a year on from the incident.
More pieces of wreckage will be found in the future, the news conference has been told.
12:30
'No one thought this could happen'
The Dutch Safety Board has now told the conference that there was a sufficient reason for Ukraine to close the airspace for civil aviation before the incident.
However it was said that all parties at the time regarded the conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian authorities as a military-only threat.
The report clarifies that no one thought civilian airlines were in any danger.
12:23
'Crash was caused by a warhead'
The findings of the report are now being read - here are the key findings.
- Flight MH17 crashed as the result of the detonation of a warhead
- The rocket fits on the BUK missile - a Russian-made weapon
- As a result of the explosion parts of the aeroplane began to fall off
- The plane then broke into pieces in the air
- The rocket was fired from the Eastern part of Ukraine
12:18
What we can expect to learn today
While the Dutch Safety Board and Moscow are trading snipes this morning, the purpose of this report is not to point the finger.
We can expect to learn how the plane was downed, and how the scene was dealt with in the aftermath of the incident - however a separate criminal investigation which is still ongoing is expected to name those responsible for the 298 deaths at a later date.
The report presentation has just now begun.
12:07 Key event
First picture of MH17 reconstructed
This is the first picture of the reconstructed MH17 plane.
Investigators reassembled what they could of the downed plane as a part of their probe into what happened.
The plane is now on show at the Gilze-Ruen Air Force Base in the Netherlands as the world’s media wait to be read the Dutch Safety Board’s report.
12:01
Putin claims Russia's side of the story is being ignored
This is what Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has had to say on how the world is treating Russia’s own findings.
There are facts delivered by the Russian side that for unclear reasons are being apparently ignored.
[Russia has] repeatedly expressed its disappointment over the lack of proper level of cooperation and engagement of the Russian experts into the investigation.
11:53 Key event
Russia rubbishes report's findings... before even seeing it
Russia is already rubbishing the Dutch Safety Board’s investigation, despite not even having seen it.
Chairman of the board Tjibbe Joustra has told reporters ahead of the presentation: “It’s always special when people already know that they don’t agree with a report that’s not even published yet.”
A news conference was held this morning by Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey that attempted to get the first word on what really happened to MH17.
However the impartiality of the conference was questioned by several journalists attending.
11:45
'0% chance people on board felt anything'
This morning families were told by the Dutch Safety Board that there is a 0% chance victims of the MH17 disaster felt any pain, it is understood.
The full report will be revealed to the world’s media at 12.15pm.
Of the 298 victims, 10 were British.
11:37
'Shrapnel from Russian-made missile found inside cabin crew'
It is understood that the Dutch Safety Board has told families this morning that shrapnel from the Russian-made BUK missile was found inside the bodies of the cabin crew.
The report is set to reveal that the BUK surface-to-air missile - first developed and used by the Soviet Union - caused the plane to crash, killing 298 on board.
Families of the victims were read the report this morning.
11:33 Tweet
First picture of report
The Dutch Safety Board is readying to reveal its report to the world media.
This is the first picture of the report.
It will be presented at 12.15pm.
11:26
What we know about MH17
- MH17 was shot down over territory held by pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people aboard
- Among the victims were 10 Brits
- Experts and Western governments believe rebels in war-torn Ukraine shot down the aircraft, possibly mistaking it for a Ukrainian military plane
- Moscow has offered alternative theories, including that it might have been shot down by a Ukrainian fighter, or by Ukrainian forces
- Dutch Safety Board director Tjibbe Joustra first presented findings in secret to families of the victims this morning, and at 12.15pm UK time will address journalists at a military base in Gilze-Rijen in the Netherlands
11:17 Key event
MH17 'was hit with Russian-made missile'
While we await the full findings of the Dutch investigators just after midday, local media reports have hinted at what the news conference may reveal.
It is understood that investigators will say that MH17 was hit by a BUK missile while flying over Ukraine.
This is a Russian-made missile, first used by the Soviet Union.
11:07
Dutch investigators to reveal MH17 findings
A report into what caused the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine will be unveiled at 12.15pm.
When the plane crashed in July last year 298 people, including 10 Britons, lost their lives.
They were travelling on the Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in an area where pro-Russian separatists operated.
Today’s presentation will be hosted by the Dutch Safety Board, with the investigation being led by Holland because 196 of the victims were Dutch.
Meanwhile Russia has hosted its own presentation to the world media about its own findings this morning.
We’ll bring you the fallout from that conference, alongside all the latest from the Dutch presentation just after midday.
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