BUK missile brought down MH17
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A Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile brought down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 last July, the official Dutch Safety Board report into the tragedy has concluded.
The B777 aircraft, which was carrying more than 300 passengers and crew, was shot down over Ukraine amid fighting between Russian-backed separatists and government forces.
While the report concluded the incident was the result of military action, it did not apportion blame for the missile strike. Both the rebels and the Ukrainian government have blamed each other for the tragedy.
Russian state-owned media has previously suggested the aircraft was brought down by an air-to-air missile fired from a Ukrainian fighter jet, but the report categorically ruled out this claim.
Multiple scenarios, including the far-fetched theory the aircraft was brought down by a meteor strike, were also investigated and subsequently ruled out by investigators.
The Dutch report was highly critical of civil aviation authorities and the Ukrainian government. It suggested the airspace over the contested area should have been closed to civilian aircraft at the time of the incident.
A significant number of military aircraft – including large transport planes – had been shot down by surface-to-air missiles in the weeks preceding the MH17 incident.
A criminal investigation, led by police investigators from the Netherlands, Australia and Malaysia, among other countries whose citizens were killed in the crash, continues.
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