(VOVworld) – The preliminary report by the Dutch Safety Board revealed on Thursday that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine had been punctured by 'high-energy' objects.

The site of Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash in the Donetsk region of Ukraine (Photo: Reuters)

This preliminary assessment, including photographic evidence does not suggest that the plane was hit by “one or more” missiles. The report said Flight MH17, a Boeing 777-200 operated by Malaysia Airlines, broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside. The plane then crashed in Donetsk, killing 298 people.