MH17 brought down by BUK missile, report confirms

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia's national carrier has thanked the Dutch Safety Board for its work on a report that states that Flight MH17 was brought down by a BUK surface-to-air missile over a war-torn area of Eastern Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the airline underlined that the detailed report involved significant man-hours and resources, and is expected to give clarity to affected families.

“MAS would like to assure all next of kin that we shall continue to cooperate with the authorities on all matters pertaining to the loss of flight MH17 and our support to the families will remain until all issues are completed,” the carrier said in a statement.

Earlier Tuesday, Malaysia's National News Agency Bernama reported the board's chairman, Tjibbe Joustra, as saying that the missile's warhead detonated on the left side of the aircraft's cockpit, bringing it down.

Shrapnel from the Russian made BUK was found inside the bodies of the crew members and everyone lost consciousness instantly, stated the report.

The report -- presented by the safety board at Gilze-Rijen Airbase in the Netherlands -- is expected to be the final dossier on how MH17 was brought down.

Kuala Lumpur-bound Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 was shot down while flying from Amsterdam on July 17, 2014. The tragedy saw all 298 passengers on board killed, including 28 Malaysians and 15 crew.

The report did not specify who was responsible for the missile, but insisted that the airspace should have been closed at the time.

Investigators underlined Tuesday that some passengers may have remained conscious during the 90 seconds following the detonation, as the plane broke apart and plummeted to the ground.

“It could not be ascertained at which exact moment occupants died, but it is certain that the impact on the ground was not survivable,” the report said.

The Russian government has challenged the findings, with the makers of Buk missile systems, Almaz-Antey, saying at a press conference that experiments proved that one of its missiles could not have been launched from areas under pro-Russia separatist control.

At the time of the incident, fierce fighting was taking place in the area between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government troops.

A second Dutch investigation -- scheduled to end early 2016 -- is expected to answer who shot down flight MH17.

On Tuesday, flag carrier MAS also said it remained grateful for the continued support from the Dutch government in dealing with all aspects of the tragedy and in leading the technical investigation.