295 bombed-fingers Pointed to Russia

 

Controversy yesterday trailed the crashing of a passenger plane in which 295 were killed in Ukraine, near Russian border, with allegation and counter-allegation that it was shot down. The plane took off from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.The plane, which was flying to Kuala Lumpur, was travelling at an altitude of 10km (6.2 miles) when a missile blasted it mid-air, Russia’s Interfax reported.
Last night, Ukrainian officials accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane, while the rebels also fingered the Ukrainian government of the attack. The United State Government, on its part, confirmed that the plane was shot down.
Ukrainian media have broadcast audio purported to be conversations intercepted by the Security Service between pro-Russian militants, in which several men talk about having shot down a civilian plane. But separatist leader Alexander Borodai accused the government of shooting down the airliner.
“Apparently, it’s a passenger airliner indeed, truly shot down by the Ukrainian air force,” he told Russia’s state-run Rossiya 24 TV broadcaster.
The Interfax news agency reported that rebels had found the black box flight recorder, but this has not been independently confirmed.
All 295 people aboard the plane were killed, a Ukrainian interior ministry official said, blaming “terrorists” using a ground-to-air missile.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called the downing of the flight a “catastrophe.” He ordered that a government commission investigate the crash, a statement from his office said.
“We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and confirm that the Ukraine Armed Forces did not fire at any targets in the sky,” Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said, according to his website.
He also said he has expressed condolences to The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte about the crashed plane. He invited Dutch experts to participate in the investigation of the crash, emphasising that he does not call it an “incident” or a “catastrophe,” but a “terrorist action.”
United States President Barack Obama has said the nation’s prayers are with victims of plane crash, amid reports that 23 Americans died in the accident.
Obama commented briefly on the incident at the beginning of an event in Wilmington, Delaware. He stated: “It looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Right now we are working to determine whether there were American citizens on board – that is our first priority.
“And I’ve directed my national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian government. As a country, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and passengers, wherever they call home.”
As at press time, Reuters quoted an emergency services rescue worker as saying that at least 100 bodies had so far been found at the scene, near the village of Grabovo, and that debris from the wreckage was spread across an area up to about 15 km (nine miles) in diameter.
The Boeing 777 was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry, quoted by the news agency, said. The adviser said the 280 passengers and 15 crew members, who were on the plane, are all believed to have died.
A spokesman for Malaysian Airlines, still reeling from the loss of flight MH370 in March, confirmed it had lost contact with flight MH17 at 12.14pm local time.
The flight disappeared from radar, as it flew over Ukrainian airspace, the spokesman said.
Media reports said the plane fell between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the neighbouring region of Donetsk. Donetsk region, where there has been recent heavy fighting amid continuing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Data from Flightradar24 suggests the plane had just passed the city of Kremenchuk when it disappeared.
“I was working in the field on my tractor when I heard the sound of a plane and then a bang and shots. Then I saw the plane hit the ground and break in two. There was thick black smoke,” said a witness, who gave Reuters his name only as Vladimir.
A separatist rebel from nearby Krasnyi Luch, who gave his name only as Sergei, said: “From my balcony I saw a plane begin to descend from a great height and then heard two explosions. He denied the rebels had shot the plane down.
“This could happen only if it was a fighter jet or a surface-to-air missile (that shot it down),” he told Reuters, saying the rebels did not have weapons capable of shooting shoot down a plane at such a height.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed deep condolences” to Malaysia’s Prime Minister over the crash, a post yesterday on the Kremlin’s website said. He “asked to pass the most sincere word of condolences and support to families and relatives of (the crash) victims,” the post said.