Grabovo (Shakhtersk district), Jul 17 – DAN. DPR residents have commemorated the memory of MH17 catastrophe victims at a rally in Grabovo outside Torez where the plane crashed five years ago.
The meeting brought together nearly 500 people, including the DPR Head Denis Pushilin, chairman of the DPR People’s Council Vladimir Bidyevka, head of the Donetsk Republic social movement’s executive committee Alexey Muratov and others.
The gathering commemorated the victims observing a minute’s silence. After that, they put flowers and toys to the MH17 memorial.
“I was working in the garden at the moment of the crash,” said one of the local women, Vera Gurbich.
“At some point I heard a terrifying, horrid rumbling followed by something like an explosion. Soon, children and adults were heard crying everywhere across the township. It’s unspeakable, what we saw when we got to the scene. And every year on this day we come here to commemorate the memory of the victims, it’s an immense tragedy,” she told journalists.
Five years ago 298 people died when a surface-to-air missile hit a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 at cruising altitude. Russia was immediately blamed for the catastrophe even before first investigators reached the scene. Moscow has been denying charges as subsequent investigation revealed that the missile had been launched from the Kiev-controlled territory. This year Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad expressed his doubt over accusations of Russia as “there was not enough evidence to pin the tragedy on Moscow”.*ot