Investigators reach MH17 crash site

Investigators reach MH17 crash site
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Highlights

International forensic scientists have reached the site of the flight MH17 crash in east Ukraine after the government halted military operations.

Rozsypne: International forensic scientists have reached the site of the flight MH17 crash in east Ukraine after the government halted military operations.
A Ukrainian army vehicle escorts OSCE cars in Donetsk on Thursday
Australian and Dutch police experts arrived in a convoy of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors. Fighting between government and rebel forces had prevented them getting there for nearly a week.

Australia believes that around 80 bodies remain at the crash site. Explosions were reportedly heard near the site after their arrival.A journalist for AFP news agency heard several "powerful" blasts and saw a plume of smoke less than 10km (six miles) from the crash site.Russian aviation experts are also in Ukraine, hoping to visit the site.

Continuing fighting has hindered access to the crash site, located in rebel-controlled territory in east Ukraine. Ukraine's parliament, meanwhile, voted not to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Yatsenyuk had said last week he was resigning after two parties left the coalition supporting him and parliament balked at passing laws he said were essential to fund the country's war against pro-Russian separatists.

Earlier, Ukraine suspended military operations against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country at the request of the UN, to allow international experts access to the crash site of the Malaysian plane.

The leaders of the world's major developed economies have condemned Russia's actions to destabilize Ukraine and warned of tougher sanctions if it fails to de-escalate tensions in the region. "We once again condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and actions to de-stabilize eastern Ukraine. Those actions are unacceptable and violate international law," the G7 countries said in a joint statement here.

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