Baku – APA. As many as 121 people were found dead at the crash site of a Malaysian Airlines passenger plane Boeing-777 in east Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the press service of the Ukrainian State Service of Emergency Situations reported on Friday.
“As many as 121 people were found dead at the air crash site at 7am local time on July 18. Ninety-five emergency workers and 18 units of machinery are involved in the search-and-rescue operation,” the press service said, APA reports quoting foreign media.
A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet has crashed in eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board. 3 of the passengers were infants, 154 - Dutch, 27 – Australian, 23 –Malaysian, 11 – Indonesian, 6 – British, 4 - German, 4 - Belgian, 3 - Filipino and 1 – Canadian and all 15 crew were on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, with some passengers' nationalities still to be determined.
Kyiv’s Security service produced what it claimed was an intercepted recording of phone calls between Russian military intelligence officers and rebels.
One phone call apparently was made at 4:40 p.m. Kyiv time, or 20 minutes after the plane crash, by Igor Bezler, who the SBU says is a Russian military intelligence officer and leading commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. He reports to a person identified by Ukraine’s SBU as a colonel in the main intelligence department of the general headquarters of the armed forces of the Russian Federation Vasili Geranin regarding the shot down plane, which is about to be examined by the militants.
The second intercepted conversation released by the Security Service of Ukraine was apparently between militants nicknamed “Major” and “Greek” immediately upon inspection of the crash site.
“It’s 100 percent a passenger (civilian) aircraft,” Major is recorded as saying, as he admitted to seeing no weapons on site. “Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.”
In the third part of conversation Cossack commander Nikolay Kozitsin talking to an unidentified militant cynically suggests that the Malaysia Airlines airplane could've been carrying spies, as, otherwise, it would have no business flying in that area.
The White House said late Thursday the U.S. is prepared to assist in any investigation.
“It is critical that there be a full, credible, and unimpeded international investigation as quickly as possible. We urge all concerned – Russia, the pro-Russian separatists, and Ukraine – to support an immediate cease-fire in order to ensure safe and unfettered access to the crash site for international investigators and in order to facilitate the recovery of remains,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a lengthy statement about the crash.
Earnest was quick to note the “context” of the situation and the overall conflict in Ukraine, noting the Russian government has provided support and arms to pro-Russian separatists in the region.
“While we do not yet have all the facts, we do know that this incident occurred in the context of a crisis in Ukraine that is fueled by Russian support for the separatists, including through arms, materiel, and training. This incident only highlights the urgency with which we continue to urge Russia to immediately take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine and to support a sustainable cease-fire and path toward peace that the Ukrainian government has consistently put forward,” Earnest said.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, said: "An international team must have full access to the crash site. And no one should interfere with the area, or move any debris, including the black box."
There needed to be an independent investigation into the crash, adding the Netherlands is ready to send an investigation group to Ukraine in this regards, Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said in a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott blamed Russia on Friday over the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jetliner over eastern Ukraine that killed all 298 people on board.
Abbott appeared to go further than other Western leaders in apportioning blame over the crash, demanding that Moscow answer questions about the "Russian-backed rebels" that he said were behind the disaster.
He also said the Russian ambassador to Australia has been officially summoned to discuss the issue.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his condolences following today’s crash of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine, and called for a full investigation into the disaster.
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