KUALA LUMPUR: A team of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) officers, en route to the MH17 crash site was shot at yesterday, confirming that the ground zero was still unsafe for investigators to enter.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the OSCE reconnaissance team was headed to the area but was forced to turn back after being shot at. However, no one was hurt.
“A reconnaisance team under the umbrella of OSCE had gone to the MH17 crash site but shots were fired as they were on the way proving that the grounds are still unsafe and not conducive for investigators to enter.
“We have not given up and still hopeful that we will be able to enter soon. If the ceasefire holds between the separatist and Ukraine, we still have a window of opportunity for us to have a final sweep of the crash site.
“The Malaysian team plans to enter the crash site together with the Dutch and Australians. The teams will determine when is the safest time to do so as we do not want to risk our men’s safety,” he said.
Hishammuddin said his visit last week to Amsterdam, Moscow and Kiev were able to position the structure of the stakeholders who were not talking to each other at times, adding that OSCE was probably the only thing that bridges link between Russia, the separatist, Ukraine and Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s assets the GO Phoenix Mother Vessel and the Pro Synthetic Aperture Sonar (towed) were ready to join the search operations for the missing MH370 in the South Indian Ocean.
Hishammuddin said it will depart from Indonesia today and expect to arrive on September 25.
The assets will conduct the search for 20 days before departing to Fremantle for replenishments, he said.
Both Hishammuddin and Petronas chief executive officer Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas will travel to Perth to attend briefing on the operations and meet the crew and personnel on board the GO Phoenix.
The search team, he said, has yet to verify whether the 58 solid objects found on Sunday were from flight MH370.
“The objects were located on the ocean floor bed, it is very deep and we have to determine what they are exactly. We only know they are big and hard.
“We do not want to give false hopes to family members who are hoping to get some closure from the incident,” he said, adding that he will be meeting the Chinese counterparts next week to discuss further to enhance search efforts.