Pressure grows on Russia over MH17 crash inquiry

Western countries have demanded that Russia put pressure on Ukrainian rebels to allow unhindered access to the site of Thursday’s Malaysia Airlines jet crash. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that time was ‘running out’ to show he could help. Most crash victims were Dutch. The US and Britain also told Russia full access to the area was needed. International observers have had their movements restricted by pro-Russia militiamen who control the crash site. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke to Putin on Saturday, urging his co-operation. Meanwhile, monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reached the crash site. OSCE spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said access had improved compared to Friday and that the monitors were seeing parts of the terrain they had not seen before. The monitors are there to observe the site ahead of the arrival of international investigators. Both Ukraine and the pro-Russian rebels have accused each other of shooting down the Boeing 777, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, according to BBC.