Parts of the Malaysia Airlines plane shot down over Ukraine were found sawed in half, USA Today reported.
According to the newspaper, international monitors, who had only recently gained access to the area, found that the cockpit of the plane had been breached with a saw. Until Monday, Russian-backed separatists had controlled the site.
It is unclear who damaged the plane or why.
Fergal Keane, a BBC correspondent, confirmed USA Today’s report. Investigators told Keane that the plane had been hacked into with a diesel-powered saw. Keane said that the first-class area had been found damaged.
Many in the international community have accused separatists of gunning down the commercial plane. Both the separatists and the Kremlin have denied such allegations.
President Obama lashed out at Russia on Monday for blocking access to the crash site, asking, “What exactly are they trying to hide?”
On Tuesday, the EU announced increased sanctions on Russia in light of the crash.
