Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: Black boxes will go to UK for analysis

This image grab taken from an AFP TV video shows one of the two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet during a press conference in Donetsk on July 22, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
This image grab taken from an AFP TV video shows one of the two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet during a press conference in Donetsk on July 22, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - Black boxes from the Malaysian jetliner downed over eastern Ukraine will be sent to a lab in the United Kingdom, said Malaysia's deputy transport minister on Tuesday.

"The procedure is to have the black boxes sent to the nearest lab that is authorized by the ICAO for analysis," said Aziz Kaprawi to Reuters.

The two black boxes are now in the possession of Malaysian authorities after Prime Minister Najib Razak brokered a deal late on Monday with eastern Ukraine's separatists leader to handover the evidence that could shed light on the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last Thursday.

Mr Aziz said that the black boxes will travel directly from Ukraine to a lab under the Air Accidents Investigations Branch in the U.K.

The plane was shot down by a ground-to-air missile last Thursday in eastern Ukraine while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

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