Sky News Reporter Rummaged Through Victim's Suitcase.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2699229/Sky-News-apologises-reporter-rifles-luggage-MH17-victims-live-air.html

The media are quick to condemn the Ukrainian rebels for sifting through the victims belongings, and quite rightly so, but isn't this a matter of double standards?

Also do we need to be constantly shown bodies strewn all over the place, pictures of the sad victims personal belongings plus bodies being carried onto a train of refrigerated carriages, surely it is enough to know this dastardly deed took place without the need to shock us further?

[sp1814]

Who is the criticism aimed at?

Sky News or the Daily Mail?

[jomifl]

Apart from being an air crash site it is also a multiple crime scene. Surely even a reporter would be aware of that.?

[jno]

rather odd variation on investigative journalism, that.

[237SJ]

Agreed. Yesterday (BBC World, I think) there was a reporter outside a Dutch passenger's house sifting through the sympathy messages and trying to accost the friends who came to pay their respects. Most of them refused to speak but she managed to get one couple onto camera who were clearly quite uncomfortable. Totally unnecessary.

[jomifl]

Yes jno, it isn't as if there wasn't a passenger list and we do know that most travellers carry stuff in their luggage. If he was looking for a evidence of bomb he probably chose the wrong piece of luggage.

[sandyRoe]

It's likely that the Ukrainians were looting. This reporters actions were tasteless.

[Gromit]

Normally the authorities would keep the press and public away from a murder scene. But these aren't normal circumstances.

He is clearly tampering with evidence which I suspect is a crime. Sky should immediately withdraw him if they haven't already.

[ichkeria]

Russian mercenaries have, it would seem, stolen all the diplomatic mail that was being carried on the plane, as well as credit cards of victims.

Shockingly, Russia continues to send forces to the Ukrainian border, and have been firing on Ukrainian military positions from the Russian side of the border. Although the territory controlled by the terrorists continues to shrink, and now stands at approximately one sixth of the Donbass region (Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts).
The train carrryng most of the bodies is due to leave Torez (rebel held) for Kharkiv at 18.00BST tonight. After which the plan is to fly them all to the Netherlands.

[Hypognosis]

BBC reporting that watches and mobile phones from the victims have been appearing on street stalls though it was not made apparent whether this entails TV pictures of these things on sale and recognition by grieving relatives or how else these things could be distinguished as not being locally circulating s/h goods.

Distressing, so it really needs some veracity, not just used to fill airtime (sometimes wonder if they're paid by the word…)

[mikey4444]

Putin needs to pull his blood-stained finger out here without any further delay...this situation is now completely out of hand. The rebels who control this area are pro-Russian. The clue is in the name...Putin needs to do more to sort this mess out. Can we imagine the situation if the crash was within Russian territory ? How long would Putin put up with foreigners coming along and taking the bodies way in a train, destination unknown ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28411225

[Zacs-Master]

I consider the Mail having posted stills of the video images almost as sick and completely unecessary to the story. We can all imagine what someone rifling through a suitcase looks like.

[ichkeria]

mikey, the rebels are only mostly pro-Russian: they ARE Russian.
it was reported also on Ukrainian news site that local people in the town of Alchevsk had witnessed gunmen carrying amongst other things a child's rucksack, suitcases, cash, cards and valuables, which they intended to sell on or use as barter.

Half an hour ago the train with the bodies left for Kharkiv, a city well away from rebel-land, where there is a full forensic back-up team. After which they may go to Netherlands. A local hotel though offered to house relatives free who wanted to travel to the city, and I'd imagine they won't be the only one.