Investigators reach site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

Members of an international team of investigators have begun their investigation of the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

The BBC reports that the investigative team is made up of 70 investigators from both the Netherlands and Australia. Along with investigating the ultimate cause of the crash, they are tasked with locating the bodies of 80 or so passengers that have not yet been found and returned to their families.

The team began its investigation even as fighting around the site continued to rage. In an ambush not far from the wreckage, 10 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 13 reported missing after rebel fighters ambushed them.

Although fighting continued, the investigators' mission was helped by the fact that the Ukrainian military declared a temporary halt to its operations in the area around the crash.

The BBC says it is not clear who, if anyone, currently controls the crash site.

The investigation team traveled in a 16-vehicle convoy accompanied by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. After arriving on the scene, the team established a headquarters in a barn on a local chicken farm.

The New York Times reports that before the large group of 70 made its way to the crash site, an exploratory group went first to evaluate the situation. The group was made up of two Australian, two Dutch, and eight OSCE crash investigation experts.

The results of the investigation are being eagerly awaited all around the world. The governments in both Kiev and Moscow have each accused each other of downing flight MH17 as it made its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The BBC reports that more than 1,500 people have been killed in the violence in eastern Ukraine.