Pressure and Anger Mount Over MH17 Investigation Delays

On Sunday, conflicting numbers estimated nearly 200 bodies were recovered from the MH17 crash site, four days after the Boeing 777 was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine. The bodies have been stored in refrigerated train cars in Torez, an industrial town roughly 10 miles to the south.

The mission spokesman for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Michael Bociurkiw, said that “Going inside the wagons is impossible without special equipment. The stench is very, very bad.” ) As many as 100 bodies were still unaccounted for as of Sunday.

Emergency workers claim to have recovered another 21 bodies early Monday. They were bagged and left by the roadside near the crash site.

The refrigerated train left Torez Monday afternoon with an undisclosed number of bodies on board. It is traveling to Kharkiv, an eastern Ukraine city 189 miles to the northwest. From there, the victims will be flown to Amsterdam.

Malaysian Airlines has released the complete passenger list of those on board flight MH17, along with a list of contact numbers for respective countries’ Family Support Centres.

In a vote earlier today, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution proposed by Australia that called for an international investigation into the MH17 crash and an end to military activities around the crash site. The approved proposal also calls for unimpeded international access to the crash site.

Outrage increased over the weekend as reports of compromise and mistreatment of victims at the crash site continue to emerge. Reports indicated that looting is a serious issue due to the unsecure nature of the site, and there are clear signs that passengers’ belongings, including wallets and purses, have been removed.

Dutch banks have since taken “preventative measures” against possible fraud, and they assure that any losses that result from unlawful use of a victim’s card will be reimbursed to the next-of-kin.

Pro-Russian separatist rebels claim to have recovered black box recorders from the crash site. A photograph taken on July 18 shows a worker carrying what appears to be a flight data recorder.

The self-proclaimed prime minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Borodai, says that they will only hand over the boxes to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

“These objects have been delivered to the city of Donetsk and are under my control,” Borodai stated. “We are expecting the representatives of a specialized organization, ICAO in this case, whom we are ready to pass these objects of the plane’s technical equipment.”

Borodai maintains that rebel forces have not interfered with the crash investigation, but expressed disappointment with how long it took Malaysian aviation experts to arrive at the scene. The Ukrainian government still blames the rebels for shooting down MH17.

Earlier today, the Russian Defense Ministry presented its account of the crash. During a news conference, air force chief Igor Makushev said Russian radar detected a second aircraft in MH17’s vicinity shortly before the crash. Satellite imagery, Makushev claims, proves that Ukraine moved missile systems into the area prior to the incident. Russian radar reportedly depicts MH17 deviating from its course by nearly eight miles. Shortly after it returned to its correct course, the plane crashed.

Makushev did not directly say who the ministry believed downed MH17, but he strongly hinted that Ukraine was responsible, suggesting they used either a fighter jet or a Ukrainian military-owned Buk system. The ministry, he says, is prepared to hand over all the information they have collected to European authorities.

The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has avoided blaming anyone for the tragedy. His primary objective is to get the deceased, 189 of which were Dutch, back to their home country. Rutte has called the loss “too awful for words,” and has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take responsibility in order to expedite the recovery of bodies from the rebel-controlled territory.

[Photo: iStock]