#Ukraine PM says no deal exists for investigator safe secure access to #MH17 crash site - accuses "terrorists" of hiding 38 victims bodies
— Nic Robertson (@NicRobertsonCNN) July 19, 2014
#MH17 Just watching investigators and stretcher team move into cornfield
— Fergal Keane (@fergalkeane47) July 19, 2014
!!!BREAKING NEWS!!!
Ukraine’s government has accused pro-Russian rebels of trying to destroy evidence at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that was shot down on July 17 while flying over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine. (Reuters, AFP)
More to follow
At #MH17 site. Separatists standing guard, limiting access. Ukr emergency services handling bodies, taking to morgue. pic.twitter.com/fatS8M9435
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) July 19, 2014
Jewelry, credit cards and money looted from #MH17 crash site, Ukraine blames rebels. http://t.co/pnotyDOm1u
— CNN International (@cnni) July 19, 2014
Here are some more details from our news desk on Kyiv's claims that separatists are attempting to destroy evidence at the MH17 crash site:
Ukraine’s government says pro-Russian rebels – "with the help of Russia" -- are trying to destroy evidence at the crash site of a Malaysian passenger jet that was shot down on July 17 while flying over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine -- killing all 298 people aboard.
A government statement today "officially states that the terrorists, with the help of Russia, are trying to destroy evidence of international crimes."
The statement also said separatists removed 38 bodies and placed them in a morgue in Donetsk, where it said specialists with "strong Russian accents" threatened to carry out their own autopsies.
Separatist leaders have promised access to inspectors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
But separatist fighters blocked an OSCE team on July 18 and were continuing to prevent the experts from inspecting the site on July 19.
(Reuters, AP, and AFP)
Russia rejects what everyone else thinks happened to #MH17. The murder weapon disappears. This is going to get worse. http://t.co/oIogzwvjqB
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) July 19, 2014
This probably hurts the most. In between the debris in the field. pic.twitter.com/0262v0Xwi8
— Olaf Koens (@obk) July 19, 2014
Britain's tabloid press is not pulling punches: pic.twitter.com/fkriXYGBZn via @euromaidan
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) July 19, 2014
Meanwhile, fighting seems to be rumbling on in Luhansk (from RFE/RL's news desk):
Ukraine's Defense Minister has told President Petro Poroshenko that government troops had taken control of the southeastern part of the city of Luhansk in the country's east.
A statement on the president's website yesterday said, "The minister of defense, Valery Heletey, told President Petro Poroshenko that Ukrainian armed forces took control of the southeastern part of Luhansk."
The statement added that troops had also surrounded Luhansk airport.
Government troops and pro-Russian rebels have been reportedly engaged in fierce fighting in the separatist-controlled city.
Local officials said more than 20 people have died in shelling over the past two days. There are differing reports as to who is to blame for the shelling.
Electricity and water supplies have been reportedly knocked out in much of the city and a major oil refinery is on fire.
(Reuters, Interfax, and BBC)