MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) – Australia is going to seek Russia’s assistance in investigating the fatal crash of a Malaysian airliner, the Sydney Morning Herald cited Prime Minister Tony Abbott as saying Friday.
“Australia will call in the Russian ambassador to discuss the investigation into the downing of Malaysia flight MH17,” the paper said.
In his Friday address to the Australian Parliament, Tony Abbott said Australia would seek a binding UN Security Council resolution to launch an objective inquiry into the Boeing crash and compel all sides in the region to providing full access to the crash site, the wreckage and the plane’s emergency locator beacon.
The Australian prime minister said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop would meet with the Russian ambassador in the country to secure Moscow’s cooperation in the investigation. He also urged to bring those responsible for an incident, which he said looked “less like an accident than a crime,” to justice.
Australia is sending a Foreign Affairs department team to Ukraine who will offer assistance and help repatriate the bodies of Australian nationals. According to the latest data, 27 passengers aboard the crashed Flight MH17 were from Australia. Further 41 bodies are still to be identified.
A Thursday night update bumped up the number of casualties to 298, up from the initial 295, after Malaysia Airlines said there were three infants among the dead.
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the town of Torez in the Donetsk Region of Ukraine on Thursday. None of the people aboard survived.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused self-defense forces in the Donetsk region of downing the plane and stealing its black box which, he claimed, they intended to ship to Russia. He did not comment on the motives behind these acts.
