E Ukraine fighting yet again stops MH17 probe
Iran Press TV
Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:52PM GMT
International experts have been prevented for the fourth consecutive day from visiting the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine due to heavy fighting in the area.
Pieter Jaap Aalbersberg, the group's Dutch lead investigator, said in a Dutch Foreign Ministry statement on Wednesday that the situation along the route was "too unsafe."
'There will be no convoy with Dutch experts travelling from Donetsk to the site where flight MH17 crashed," Aalbersberg added.
The Dutch official added that the security situation in the area is being continuously assessed; however, it was unsure when it would be safe to visit the site.
"We will keep trying to reach the crash site in the coming days, but the question is whether it will become any safer," said Aalbersberg.
This is the fourth day in a row that the group of experts has failed to reach the site due to continued fighting between government troops and pro-Russian forces.
The group consisting of Dutch and Australian police officials need to access the site to recover the remains of some of the 298 victims of the July 17 crash. Over 200 bodies have been recovered so far.
Ukraine launched military operations in Donetsk and Lugansk in mid-April to crush pro-Russia forces there. Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
The United Nations says at least 1,129 people have been killed in the ongoing military campaign in eastern Ukraine.
CAH/AB
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