NEWSLINK: World leaders demand answers after airliner downed over Ukraine with 298 dead

[“World leaders demand answers after airliner downed over Ukraine with 298 dead” – Reuters – Anton Zverev – July 18, 2014]

Reuters covers the shoot-down of the Malaysian civilian jumbo jet in eastern Ukraine and its aftermath, including calls for an international investigation.

World leaders demanded an international investigation into the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner with 298 people … over eastern Ukraine in a tragedy that could mark a pivotal moment in the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

Two U.S. officials said Washington strongly suspected the Malaysian Airlines … Boeing 777 was downed by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile fired by Ukrainian separatists backed by Moscow.

There were no survivors from Thursday’s crash, which left wreckage and bodies scattered across miles of rebel-held territory near the border with Russia.

Russia, Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels traded accusations and denials about the incident.

The crash occurred in rebel-dominated territory within 25 miles of the Russian border.

The plane crashed about 40 km (25 miles) from the border with Russia near the regional capital of Donetsk, an area that is a stronghold of rebels who have been fighting Ukrainian government forces and have brought down military aircraft.

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The Ukrainian government released recordings it said were of Russian intelligence officers discussing the shooting down of a civilian airliner by rebels who may have mistaken it for a Ukrainian military plane.

The United States and Germany called for a ceasefire to allow access to the crash site, the rebels promised cooperation and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) expected to have personnel reach the site on Friday.

The black boxes reportedly already were recovered.

The plane’s two black boxes – voice and data recorders – were quickly recovered, but since the crash site was in rebel hands it was unclear who would analyse them and whether they could in any case determine who fired the missile.

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