On July 17, 2014, a passenger aircraft crashed as it was hit by a missile launched from the ground. Malaysian Airlines 17 was flying over Ukrainian airspace from Amsterdam en route to Kuala Lumpur when it was struck by a missile instantly bringing the plane down killing all 283 passengers, including 80 children and 15 crew members.
Two years and four months later, what exactly are the developments on Malaysia Airlines 17? According to BBC, in September. 2016, an international team of criminal investigators released a report stating that the Buk missile that hit the plane was indeed brought in from Russian territory and was fired from a field controlled by pro-Russian fighters.
The Malaysia Airlines 17 perpetrators are still being established. The criminal investigators appealed for witnesses to present themselves to aid in the continuing investigation further.
As reported by Dutch air accident investigators, the plane left Schipol Airport in Amsterdam at 10:31GMT and was due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur 22:10GMT. Malaysia Airlines 17 lost contact with air traffic control at 13:20GMT about 50 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.
There were footages of Malaysia Airlines 17 crash in the Donetsk area of Ukraine. This is a well-known territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. As the plane crashed, there were hundreds of bodies on the ground.
The missile that brought Malaysia Airlines 17 down hit the slightly above and to the top left of the cockpit. This inevitably caused the plane to break apart in mid-air.
The missile that hit Malaysia Airlines 17 is a Russian-made 9N314M-type warhead carried on the 9M38M1 missile launched from the eastern part of Ukraine using the Buk missile system. The missile used was identified based on the recovered shrapnel, fragments found and damage pattern of the wreckage.
Malaysia Airlines 17 was brought down by the reported missile at the height of conflict between government troops and pro-Russian separatists. It was discovered that the missile used was indeed brought from Russia and launched from the rebel-dominated part of Ukraine.
JIT interviewed witnesses that saw #Buk TELAR at #Pervomaiskyi launch site. #RussiaDIDit #MH17https://t.co/9Vd191UD6Z pic.twitter.com/xdMICnzeDQ
— AmishJihadi (@AmishJihadi) November 23, 2016
In Sept. 2016, the JIT or Joint Investigation Team used witnesses' testimonies, intercepted phone calls, photos and satellite imagery showing burnt and scorched land believed to be where the missile was launched. This was at Pervomaiskyi, near Snizhne in eastern Ukraine.
As added by Fortune, Russia denies its involvement in the Malaysia Airlines 17 crash. Russia denies that pro-Russian rebels are responsible for bringing the plane down by a Buk missile.
Russia has vehemently denied its participation in the attack of Malaysia Airlines 17 claiming 283 lives. Russian authorities have offered substantial information in the past but have not answered all questions.
