REUTERS
A pro-Russian separatist places
black boxes belonging to Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on a desk, before
their handover to Malaysian representatives, in Donetsk. Picture: Maxim
Zmeyev
Kuala Lumpur -
The black boxes recovered from the
crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine will be sent
to British aviation investigators for analysis, Malaysia has said.
The decision by the Dutch-led team
probing the disaster came after pro-Russian rebels controlling the
crash site handed the boxes over to Malaysian officials on Tuesday,
following an intense international outcry.
Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai
said in a statement late Tuesday that it was normal procedure to send
the boxes, which record cockpit activity and flight data, to the nearest
laboratory approved by the United Nations aviation agency, the
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“The international investigation
team, led by the Netherlands, has decided to pass the black boxes to the
UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch for forensic analysis,” he said.
The boxes will be flown to
Farnborough, England, accompanied by Malaysian officials and other
members of the investigation team, Liow added.
All 298
people, including 193 from the Netherlands, aboard MH17 were killed
when it went down over crisis-hit eastern Ukraine on Thursday. The jet
is believed to have been shot by a surface-to-air missile.
Malaysia had announced late Monday
a breakthrough deal with separatists from the self-proclaimed Donetsk
People's Republic, following direct negotiations.
Besides the handover of the black
boxes, the agreement also says that bodies from the crash will be sent
to the Netherlands for analysis before being returned home, and provides
for a safe route to the site controlled by the insurgents.
The pro-Russia rebels currently
stand accused by the US and some other nations of bringing down the
aircraft, allegedly with a missile supplied by Moscow. - Sapa-AFP
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