KUALA LUMPUR: INVESTIGATORS attempting to re-enter the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash site in Donestk, Ukraine, may face not only the threat of landmines but also unexploded ordnance.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the presence of unexploded ordnance, such as mortar, was a strong possibility due to the ongoing shelling at the area by the Ukraine armed forces and
separatist rebels.
OSCE Special
Monitoring Mission to Ukraine spokesman
Michael Bociurkiw said security at the crash site was unstable to the point that investigators might not be able to access the site until spring, which is around May next year.
“The rainy season has arrived and temperatures have fallen at the crash site. This, coupled with the fact that the area is not secure, points to the likelihood that investigators will not be able to access the site until spring.
“However, the security situation could change suddenly, and, hopefully, in a positive direction,” he said in an email to the New Sunday Times.
Bociurkiw said OSCE, however, could not establish currently whether landmines had been planted at the crash site.
The OCSE is aiding the multinational investigation team and is actively monitoring the condition of the crash site.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, had on Wednesday, told NST that the investigators and recovery teams were facing an increased risk, as reports had emerged that the MH17 crash site had been planted with landmines.
The Ukrainian government had accused pro-Russian separatists of laying landmines on the roads leading to the crash site.
Ongoing clashes and increasing risk at the area has forced the joint investigation team, comprising members from Malaysia, Australia and the Netherlands, to postpone their mission. Only a small team was left in Kiev in case an opportunity to enter the area arises.
However, Khalid expressed confidence that the team would be able to gather all evidence although it has been more than 70 days since MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
“We are making use of technological investigative tools from all three countries.
“The focus is on entering the crash site to recover remains that are possibly still there and personal belongings of the victims. We would also be gathering evidence which shows any possible criminal act on the aircraft.”