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Timeline of MH17 air disaster

International investigators have concluded that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile, a Dutch paper said Tuesday just hours ahead of the official report. These are the main developments since the plane crashed in rebel-held east Ukraine last year, killing all 298 people aboard: - 2014 - - July 17:…
Ukrainian rescue servicemen inspect part of the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 20, 2014 in Rassipnoye, Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed killing all 298 on board including 80 children. The aircraft was allegedly shot down by a missile and investigations continue over the perpetrators of the attack.  (Photo by Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

Ukrainian rescue servicemen inspect part of the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 20, 2014 in Rassipnoye, Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed killing all 298 on board including 80 children. The aircraft was allegedly shot down by a missile and investigations continue over the perpetrators of the attack. (Photo by Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

International investigators have concluded that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile, a Dutch paper said Tuesday just hours ahead of the official report.

These are the main developments since the plane crashed in rebel-held east Ukraine last year, killing all 298 people aboard:

– 2014 –

– July 17: A Boeing 777 operated by Malaysia Airlines flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashes near the village of Grabove, in the strife-torn region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Dutch nationals account for two-thirds of the dead, along with about 30 Australians and 30 Malaysians with many having dual nationalities.

– Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko calls it a “terrorist act”. Pro-Russian rebels claim the airliner was shot down by a Ukrainian military jet. Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine “bears responsibility” for the crash.

– July 18: US President Barack Obama says a missile fired from separatist-held territory was to blame, maintaining the rebels would not have been able to hit the airliner without Russian support.

– US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, says the plane was probably shot down by an SA-11, a common variant of the Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile.

– July 21: The UN Security Council adopts a resolution condemning the attack and demanding access to the crash site.

– July 22: Rebels hand over the plane’s two black boxes to Malaysian experts.

– September 9: A first report released by the Netherlands says MH17 broke apart mid-air after being hit by numerous high-speed objects.

– 2015 –

– June 30: Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur says chances of finding human remains of the last two victims of the crash are “unlikely”.

– July 17: In the Netherlands and other countries, relatives of MH17 victims join emotional memorials. Britain calls for an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible.

– July 29: Russia vetoes a UN Security Council resolution, drafted by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, that seeks to set up a tribunal.

– August 11: Investigators probing the crash say they have identified seven large fragments “probably” from a BUK surface-air-missile system”.

– September 25: The Dutch government says it will repatriate the latest remains found of victims from the crash.

– October 13: Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, quoting sources close to the investigation, says the inquiry has concluded that a Russian-made BUK missile fired from rebel-held eastern Ukraine shot down the plane.

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