Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans has claimed that one of the 298 passengers who died with Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot out of the sky was found wearing an oxygen mask.
He suggested this meant that not everybody on board died instantly when the plane, which was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, was hit by a missile over Ukraine.
An initial report said flight MH17 disintegrated in mid-air after being pierced by several objects, thought to be missiles, at high velocity.
Timmermans has now said he regrets the remark and upsetting families.
The Dutch public prosecutor has confirmed that an oxygen mask was found, although a spokesman said it was around the passenger’s neck rather than their mouth. It had been secured with elastic and tested for DNA and fingerprints.
Dutch media said the victim in question was an Australian and their family had been informed about the development.
The initial report into the MH17 disaster did not made any mention of an oxygen mask being found on one of the victims, but several experts concluded that the plane would have disintegrated too quickly for the passengers to have known anything about it.
