Less than two months after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed over Ukraine, investigators are closer to knowing why.
The plane broke apart in mid-air after a number of "high-energy objects" penetrated its fuselage, says the Dutch Safety Board.
All 298 people on board were killed in the July 17 crash, most of them from the Netherlands.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) MALAYSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER LIOW TIONG LAI SAYING:
"It is likely that the damage resulted in a loss structural integrity of the aircraft leading to an in-flight breakup."
Ukraine and western countries believe rebels fighting government troops in the east accidentally shot down the plane with an advanced, Russian-made missile.
An accusation the main rebel leader denies.
The Dutch report doesn't mention a missile but says impact with a large number of fragments would be consistent with a so-called "proximity" warhead.
Those are designed t
