MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - The crash of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 in Ukraine should be investigated by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) involving all the respective stakeholders, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) said.
"We need to agree as soon as possible, so that the researchers, experts in plane crash investigation, IAC experts could examine the circumstances, collect the so-called black boxes, remove the dead bodies, identify the dead in the most appropriate place, so that the bodies can be given to the relatives for burial," Rosaviatsiya head Alexander Neradko said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television channel.
A Malaysian passenger plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the town of Torez in the Donetsk Region of Ukraine on Thursday, with at least 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board.
Following the crash, Ukraine's state-run air traffic operator Ukraerorukh announced that leading international experts will join the effort to investigate the crash.
"We have already been approached by ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] Council President and the head of Eurocontrol. Telephone conversations took place, and they have assured us full support related to an objective investigation of this event. So experts from leading international organizations will get involved, as well as [experts from] the country of registration and production of the aircraft," acting CEO of Ukraerorukh said at a briefing following the tragedy.
Responding to the news, Russian Emergencies Ministry confirmed that there were no Russian citizens on board the plane and addressed its Ukrainian counterparts with a request to conduct joint works at the crash site of the plane. Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to Malaysian Prime Minister Najob Razak.
