- .The Malaysia Airlines flight, a Boeing 777, was brought down by a missile strike over eastern Ukraine on Thursday
- .Eyewitnesses have described the shocking scenes at the crash sites, with many passengers stripped bare
- .The aircraft was brought down en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with the loss of all 298 people on board
- .Ukrainian government has accused rebels of removing 38 bodies from crash site to remove evidence
- .One woman, 65-year-old Irina Tipunova, from Raspinoye, told how a falling corpse smashed her bedroom roof
- .Comes as international pressure mounts on Vladimir Putin after statements from Obama and U.N. delegates
- .International investigators are trying to access the crash site - but say they were hindered by drunken rebel gunmen
- .Ukrainian emergency services have been allowed on to the site, and have found 186 of the 298 bodies
- .Fighters in Ukraine have also been accused of looting the corpses of the dead, including Briton John Alder, 63
- .All ten British victims have now been named, after Robert Ayley, John Allen and Andrew Hoare identified today
Pictures have emerged of the destruction caused in Ukraine by the falling bodies of victims of flight MH17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
The bodies of the 298 victims rained down from 33,000ft on a crash site 10km wide - and in one case plummeted through the roof of a rural Ukrainian home, coming to a grisly halt next to an old woman's bed.
Further images and accounts from the ground are emerging as Ukrainian authorities today accused Russia and the rebels of 'trying to destroy evidence' at the crash site by removing 38 of the bodies, despite international calls to leave the area untouched.
'She landed in the bedroom': The corpse of one of the victims crashed through the roof of a house in Raspinoye, just 5km from the MH17 crash site
'Howling and everything rattled': Retiree Irinia Tipunova, 65, told how the body ripped through her home. The damage roof can be seen above from the outside
Sorting: Bodies today began to be piled up at the crash site near Donetsk, eastern Ukraine
Amassing: Ukrainian emergency workers have been allowed onto the site to sort through bodies - though wider access has not been granted
Carried out: The men worked their way through the crash site amid huge chunks of metal. Sticks tied off with white cloth are used to mark the location of bodies
An international chorus of condemnation is intensifying upon Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been accused of arming Ukrainian rebels whom it is widely believed used a surface-to-air missile to shoot down the plane.
Irinia Tipunova, 65, said: 'There was a howling noise and everything started to rattle. Then objects started falling out of the sky. And then I heard a roar and she landed in the bedroom. The roof was broken. '
The dead woman's naked body was still lying inside the house, next to a bed. Ms Tipunova said: 'The body's still here because they told me to wait for experts to come and get it.'
The Malaysia Airlines flight, a Boeing 777, was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday as it flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, with the loss of everyone on board.
Today Ukraine's government accused pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine of trying to destroy evidence at the crash site of removing 38 bodies from the scene.
'The government of Ukraine officially states that the terrorists, with the help of Russia, are trying to destroy evidence of international crimes,' a statement said.
'According to government data, the terrorists have taken 38 bodies to the morgue in Donetsk,' it said, accusing specialists with 'strong Russian accents' of threatening to carry out their own autopsies. It also said rebels were 'seeking large transports to carry away plane fragments to Russia'.
Rescue workers have been allowed on to the site, Ukraine said, and have found 186 of the 198 bodies - but have been stopped from taking anything away.
A government spokesman said: 'At 7 a.m. on July 19, 186 bodies have been found. The area that needs to be checked stands at 25 square km. Eighteen square km have already been checked.'
'The fighters have allowed Emergencies Ministry workers in there, but they do not allow them to take anything from the area. The fighters are taking away all that has been found.'
Behind it all? Vladimir Putin, pictured with Orthodox church Patriarch Kirill at a religious celebration yesterday, is under international pressure
Accused: President Putin is pictured above at a monastery near Moscow yesterday
Time to confess: Putin was pictured crossing himself yesterday at the ceremony as he was accused by leaders from around the world
Crash site: Rebels are pictured above at the crash site yesterday holding up a toy found in the wreckage
Disturbing: Dead bodies were found mixed in with debris, with some corpses having remained almost intact. Ukraine has appealed for respect for the 298 dead
Amid growing evidence that the flight was hit by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile, launched from areas controlled by pro-Russian rebels in the separatist eastern regions of Ukraine, fingers have increasingly been pointed at Russian president Vladimir Putin, who denies involvement.
Russian authorities were put under increasing pressure after U.S. President Barack Obama, international delegates to the U.N. and an outraged Australian prime minister all spoke out against Putin’s regime.
Mr Obama said U.S. intelligence confirmed that a surface-to-air missile was responsible, and described the attack as an 'outrage of unspeakable proportions.'
He also said the insurgents would not be capable of carrying out such an attack without Putin’s support.
He said: ‘We know that they are heavily armed and they are trained, and we know that that's not an accident. That is happening because of Russian support.’
Meanwhile U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that responsibility is ‘clearly’ with the Russians for arming the rebels.
Disaster scene: Ukrainian locals were seen this morning walking among the wreckage at the crash site in Grabova
Destruction: A Ukrainian woman looks over a lump of fuselage, to which international investigators say they have not been given proper access
Belongings: Luggage carried on board by the 298 victims has seemingly been heaped up at the crash site
Rescue: Ukrainian workers began to carry away the bodies of victims, two days after MH17 crashed
Fraught: A rebel soldier looks on as rescuers carry past a victim's body. Separately, the Ukrainian government has accused rebels of removing bodies to cover up evidence
'Moving bodies': A rebel commander, left, is pictured above trying to hold back journalists from the crash site. Ukraine has accused them of taking away bodies
Armed: Footage showed the commander threatening journalists at the site, access to which has been contentious
She said: ‘It is clear where responsibility lies: with the senseless violence of armed separatists and with those who have supported, equipped and advised them.
‘The council must be united in condemning these actions, and in demanding that these groups disarm, desist from violence and intimidation and engage in dialogue through the democratic mechanisms that are available to them.’
‘Separatists initially claimed responsibility for shooting down a military transport plane, and claimed responsibility and posted videos that are now being connected to the Malaysia Airlines crash,’ Ms Power said.
‘Separatist leaders also boasted on social media about shooting down a plane, but later deleted these messages.’
‘Because of the technical complexity of the SA-11, it is unlikely that the separatists could effectively operate the system without assistance from knowledgeable personnel. Thus, we cannot rule out technical assistance from Russian personnel in operating the systems.’
Yesterday the Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said that Russia cannot ‘wash its hands’ of the 28 Australian deaths in the attack.
He said: ‘This is a problem - a very serious problem. Australia takes a very dim view of countries which facilitate the killing of Australians.
‘The idea that Russia can wash its hands of responsibility because this happened in Ukrainian airspace just does not stand up to serious scrutiny. We all know what's happening in the Ukraine.’
'Killer': A woman lies at the centre of a protest in Kiev holding a sign saying 'Putin: Killer'
'Terrorussian': Meanwhile Ukrainians who live in Australia called for sanctions against Putin's regime over the attack
'Wanted': A woman pictured above in Australia, where in November the leader is due to be hosted at a G20 summit, calls for his removal and accuses him of murder
Chunks and bits: Search and rescue team search for human remains amongst the fragmented wreckage
All that remains: A part of plane is seen lying in a wheat field after the devastating missile strike
Another controversy emerged at the site today as international investigators claim drunk rebels stopped them getting full access to the evidence.
Staff from Europe's OSCE security body visited the site but complained that they did not get the full access they wanted.
‘We encountered armed personnel who acted in a very impolite and unprofessional manner. Some of them even looked slightly intoxicated,’ a spokesman said.
Yesterday another OSCE expert told CNN that it seemed as if nobody was in control of the site. Michael Bociurkiw, said: 'It basically looks like the biggest crime scene in the world right now, guarded by a bunch of guys in uniform with heavy firepower who are quite inhospitable.
'And there didn't seem to be anyone really in control, for example. One of our top priorities was to find out what happened to the black boxes. No one was there to answer those questions.' Ukraine's government today also issued a statement complaining rebels had not handed over the black boxes.
Describing the site today, the spokesman said: 'Some of the body bags are open and the damage to the corpses is very, very bad. It is very difficult to look at.'
He confirmed that the 24-member delegation was given further access to the crash site today but their movements were being limited by the rebels. The site sprawls eight square miles across sunflower and wheat fields between two villages in eastern Ukraine.
He said: 'We have to be very careful with our movements because of all the security. We are unarmed civilians, so we are not in a position to argue with people with heavy arms.'
Footage was also aired today which showed a rebel commander threatening journalists at the site and telling them to turn back.
Toys in a field: Passengers' belongings, including stuffed animals, are pictured at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 before a visit by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors, near the settlement of Grabovo
Blast: Experts claim the aircraft will have exploded in the air after being hit by a shrapnel-based missile which scattered the plane and its passengers across the fields
It came as it was revealed that MH17 had dipped 2,000ft before it was hit by the missile. But Malyasia Airline officials said the flight crew were not at fault - an area control tower ordered the plane to fly at a lower altitude because of other traffic in the region.
‘We have to obey the control tower,’ said Captain Izham Ismail, director of operations at Malaysia Airlines System. While the new flying level brought the aircraft closer to the launching pad of the BUK rocket that was aimed at it, the difference in the altitudes had no effect on the outcome, as the weapon can hit a target at 75,000ft.
Transport Minister Mr Liow Tiong Lai, who announced that he would be flying to Kiev later in the day to join a Malaysian team that was hoping to obtain permission to go into the crash site, repeated what other world leaders have demanded - that the area where the wreckage and bodies are scattered is not compromised.
'Interfering with the scene of the crash would undermine the investigation itself. Any action that prevents us from learning the truth about what happened to MH17 cannot be tolerated. Such interference would be a betrayal of the lives that were lost.'
The disputes over the crash site came as the eighth Briton on board the plane, of a total ten, was named as Robert Ayley, originally from Surrey.
The father of two, 28, lived in New Zealand but was originally from Guildford, and was on his way home to his wife Sharlene and two young sons.
His eventual destination was Wellington, where he was due to return after a month-long working trip to Europe.
In a statement his family said they were 'desperately sad' to confirm that Mr Ayley had been a passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
The dog breeder had travelled to Europe with a friend to visit Rottweiler breeders with the hope of growing his programme in New Zealand.
His family released a statement saying: 'Rob was always passionate about life, there were no half measures. He was passionate about his family too.'
The final victims were named later this afternoon as John Allen and Andrew Hoare.
Headed home: Robert Ayley, 28, was coming back from Europe to New Zealand to his family. He is pictured with his wife Sharlene
Grief: Meanwhile mourners around the world continued to hope for more information on their loved ones. Pictured is a relative of a passenger being comforted in Malaysia
Raids: Looters have been raiding the personal belongings and luggage of MH17 passengers strewn across the crash site in eastern Ukraine, officials claim
Search: Teams are now wading through pieces of wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Shaktarsk to retrieve remains and belongings
Out of the blue: A Ukrainian covers a body with a plastic sheet in a field. Malaysia's prime minister said there was no distress call before the plane went down and that the flight route was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation
Shocking sight: A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet in a sunflower field near the site of a crashed Malaysia Airlines passenger plane near the village of Rozsypne
Precious mementos: A little girl's pink suitcase containing books and a lunchbox decorated with the picture of Minnie Mouse is seen among a pile of luggage from the downed jet
A pro-Russian militant passes by the wreckage of MH17, which crash on Thursday afternoon after taking off from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam
At the crash site makeshift white flags have been placed to mark where bodies lay in corn fields and among the debris.
Others, stripped bare by the force of the crash, had been covered by polythene sheeting weighed down by stones, one marked with a red rose in remembrance.
‘The plane broke up in the air, and the parts and human bodies are lying within a three kilometer area,’ said a post by Vsevolod Petrovsky after visiting the scene.
‘One body broke a hole in the thin roof of summer terrace in a private house. I got out of the car and immediately saw the naked body of a woman, covered by some leaves.
‘There were many bodies without clothes around. Probably, their clothing was torn away after the loss of pressurization. Horrible.
‘I go further and see a hill made of the cockpit parts. The area is lit. The pilot's body is in this seat, with seat belt fastened, he is dressed in his clothes.
‘Among the plane parts there were many parcels. Letters tied with a rope, books, old vinyl records, somebody's shoes. Children's caps with the Dutch national flag colors. Amazingly, almost all of these things are not destroyed.
‘There was no fire in this part of the plane. The fire was in the back part which is lying not far from Grabovo village.’
The victims' belongings have since become a magnet for looters who, according to Ukrainian politicians, have descended on the site of the crash in the hopes of salvaging valuables, including cash and jewelery.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Kiev government, said: 'I have received information that terrorist death-hunters were collecting not only cash and jewelery of the crashed Boeing dead passengers but also the credit cards of the victims.
Currently, they might as well try to use them in Ukraine or pass them on to Russia.
'My humble request to the relatives of the victims to freeze their credit cards, so that they won't lose their assets to terrorists.'
There were also claims today that British victim John Alder, a 63-year-old Newcastle United fan on his way to see the team play in New Zealand, had his case looted. A freelance journalist on the scene said that he saw rebels take a pair of binoculars from his suitcase, then throw them away when they discovered they were broken.
Last night Downing Street supported the claims with a statement to say it appears 'increasingly likely that MH-17 was shot down by a separatist missile' fired from near Torez, an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels.
The huge crash site reportedly still smelled of jet fuel on Friday, with personal belongings scattered far and wide.
They included a pink children’s book, stickers, Children’s playing cards, slippers, cologne and a bicycle, seemingly undamaged, according to The New York Times.
Many belongings were completely undamaged, with T-shirts, suitcase
Aircraft and helicopter parts as well as dogs and pigeons were among the items being carried on the downed plane, according to the manifest.
As well as the dogs, the manifest lists other live birds as well as textiles, diplomatic mail and fresh-cut flowers.
A local farmer said: ‘I was herding my cows and heard a buzzing noise.
‘I lay on the ground and thinking only that it would not hit me and my cows. Then I looked and saw that something turns sharply and two big wings were flying. Bang. And something explodes. It came from eastern side, from the side of Sokholikha mountain.’
David Cameron has insisted that those responsible for the apparent shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 must be 'brought to account' amid deepening tensions with Russia.
The prime minister described the catastrophe, in which nine Britons died, as an 'absolutely appalling, shocking, horrific incident' that 'cannot be allowed to stand'.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in an initial response, said it was too early to decide on further sanctions before it was known exactly what had happened to the plane.
The response came as the United Nations Security Council approved a statement calling for a 'full, thorough and independent international investigation' into the crash.
The Ukrainian government has blamed rebels using Russian-supplied surface-to-air missiles for the tragedy, while the Kremlin has accused Kiev of failing to agree a ceasefire.
I enjoyed this blog post. It was inspiring and informative. You can also check about MH17 Ukraine plane crash from elstel.org
ReplyDelete