Malaysia, Australia to send investigators back to MH17 crash site

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak speak at a joint news conference in Putrajaya on Saturday.

Malaysia and Australia agreed to send investigators back to the crash site of passenger plane in eastern Ukraine, Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Saturday.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed on July 17 after apparently being shot down by a missile, killing all 298 people aboard.

“Both Prime Minister (Tony) Abbott and I are resolved to intensify our efforts and continue to work closer together with other international partners, including the Netherlands and Ukraine to ensure that the remaining victims are soon reunited with their families,” he said after meeting with Mr. Abbott.

Mr. Najib said Malaysia “demands a full independent and transparent international investigation into the incident in accordance with relevant international conventions.”

“We intend to send our teams to the crash site as soon as possible so that the resulting efforts can resume,” Mr. Najib said. “The objective of bringing to justice for those responsible for this crime must be realised.”

Mr. Abbott arrived in Malaysia on Saturday to discuss two recent air tragedies and other bilateral concerns.

Australia is leading the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8 and is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.