Investigators probing the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 said on Tuesday they had identified pieces that “possibly” come from a Russian-made BUK missile from eastern Ukraine, where the plane crashed.
International and Dutch investigators are probing “several parts, possibly originating from a BUK surface-air-missile system,” said a joint statement from prosecutors and the Dutch Safety Board (OVV).
“These parts have been secured during a previous recovery-mission in eastern Ukraine and are in possession of the criminal investigation team MH17 and the Dutch Safety Board,” it said.
Flight MH17 was shot down on July 17 last year, killing all 298 people on board during heavy fighting between Kiev’s armed forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Ukraine and many in the West have accused pro-Russian rebels of shooting down the plane, saying they may have used a BUK missile supplied by Russia. Russia and the rebels deny any responsibility and point the finger at Ukraine’s military.
Members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising representatives from the Netherlands, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, Britain, the United States and Russia are currently meeting in The Hague to discuss a draft OVV report into what caused the crash.
The statement from the OVV and JIT said that the pieces being investigated “can possibly provide more information about who was involved in the crash of MH17.”