Ukraine has failed to establish a safe corridor for investigators to reach the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed with 298 people on board, a senior official said on Monday.
“The Ukrainian government has said it cannot guarantee the safety of the international team in and around the crash site,” said Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who arrived in Kiev on Sunday.
Liow said there are different separatist groups controlling the area “with no clear leader or chain of command.” “Malaysia is deeply concerned that the international team is effectively being prevented from entering the crash site,” he said.
The team is composed of experts from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Britain’s Air Accident Investigation Branch and the US National Transportation Safety Board, according to Liow.
“It is imperative that international investigators and search and recovery personnel are afforded full and unhindered access to this site,” Liow said.
Prime Minister Najib Razak said he wanted the bodies of Malaysian citizens to be returned to the country before the end of Ramadan this month.