Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: Black boxes show crash caused by rocket shrapnel

Investigators work at a the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), some 80km east of Donetsk, on July 25, 2014. Black boxes recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in rebel-held east Uk
Investigators work at a the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), some 80km east of Donetsk, on July 25, 2014. Black boxes recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in rebel-held east Ukraine show shrapnel from a rocket explosion caused the passenger jet to crash, a Ukrainian security official said on Monday, July 28, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP

KIEV - Black boxes recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in rebel-held east Ukraine show shrapnel from a rocket explosion caused the passenger jet to crash, a Ukrainian security official said Monday.

International investigators "indicated that data from flight recorders show that the reason for the destruction and crash of the plane was massive explosive decompression arising from multiple shrapnel perforations from a rocket explosion," Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, said.

Data from the doomed airliner's black boxes was decrypted in Britain after being handed over to Malaysian officials by pro-Russian rebels controlling the crash site of MH17.

Investigators leading the probe in the Netherlands - which lost 193 citizens on the doomed jet - refused to confirm the latest information from Kiev, saying that they were "waiting to get a more complete idea of what happened."

Kiev and its Western allies have accused insurgents of shooting down the plane, killing all 298 people on board.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.