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MH-17 Crash Investigation; Putin Under Pressure; World Impact of Flight 17 Accident; Israeli Military Targets Hamas Tunnels; Telling the Victims' Stories; MH-17 Leaves Wide Debris Field; Flight MH-17's Twists of Fate

Aired July 19, 2014 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we are following in the CNN NEWSROOM right now.

Who is responsible for shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine? Pro-Russian rebels said they did not do it and Ukraine forces are singing the same tune.

Evidence at the crash site could provide answers, but has some of that evidence already been destroyed?

Plus, getting to the evidence. One observer calls it the biggest crime scene in the world. Debris scattered for miles. But they are also having trouble getting to all of the areas of the scene. Could that jeopardize the investigation?

And the ironic twists of fate for two families. One was supposed to have been on the doomed plane. The other family losing a loved one on Flight 17. They had another loved one aboard missing Malaysia Flight 370.

While families mourn those lost in the Malaysia Airlines disaster, we're hearing allegations and denials. The leader of pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine say that his forces didn't shoot that plane out of the sky. This comes as Ukraine's prime minister repeated today that he believes, quote, "someone well-trained," end quote, fired a missile at Flight 17.

A short time ago, Malaysia Airlines issued their latest list of 298 people from 12 nations who were on board that flight when it was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine. We have learned 80 children are among them. As well as top HIV/AIDS researchers, students, and a Malaysian actress and her husband and baby. The victims came from around the world and had all kinds of hopes and dreams. Dutch authorities have sent a team of at least 80 police to visit with families and gather DNA, dental records and other information.

International observers at the crash site say they heard gunfire and explosions near the scene today. And just a short time ago our team on the ground says they saw bodies being loaded into military vehicles.

The Ukrainian government is accusing pro-Russian rebels of removing more than three dozen bodies and destroying evidence.

The takedown of Flight 17 made even more devastating by complications of war. Word now that some bodies are being moved by military trucks while some factions among the separatist rebels have allowed access to the victims, others have not.

Chris Cuomo, co-host of CNN's "NEW DAY," is at the scene for us and joins us now by phone.

So, Chris, what is taking place? The last couple of times we've spoken you saw Ukrainian authorities there and even miners who are helping to move bodies. What's the latest now?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY (via phone): Yes, it's what we believe were Ukrainian authorities. They didn't want to answer any questions. It was very intense environment and it's time for us to go. It's getting dark here and there is a curfew and if you don't get back to the town of Donetsk by the time of curfew, they won't let you in and then you are stranded in a very bad situation with really no way to keep yourself safe. So a big part of doing this job is doing it the right job which of course means safely.

They were definitely loading bodies. Whether or not they have found all the bodies is difficult to tell because it's such a potentially broad area that they have to search.

Remember, Fred, you know, the plane being at 33,000 feet, falling from that altitude. They calculated it could be well over 20 kilometers of the debris field, but they were finally giving these bodies a modicum of dignity, even if they were putting them in bags and loading them on the trucks. At least they were getting them out of there. There were dogs in the area and other reasons, the temperature, et cetera, to get these bodies moved, let alone have them identified and given back to their loved ones.

WHITFIELD: So, Chris, the area where you were and at least last we spoke of, because I don't know if you've now moved to a new location there was the tail of the plane in the backdrop behind you. And I wonder what is the nearest location of the next, you know, large piece of fuselage? We understand that the debris field is spread out between four and six miles. But take us on the ground there. The distance between these larger pieces of debris.

CUOMO: We were -- we were in a very concentrated area. The tails there, a big section of wing there. There were a couple of other places of fuselage. There seems to be a huge portion of the cargo area, the cargo bay that burned apparently. There's a big burned field there. There is seeding in that area. I mean, there are all aspects of the aircraft. There are turbine components which obviously would come from the engine.

I'm not saying that all of it is somewhere else. I'm just saying that, you know, this is about being thorough, Fred, I mean, that's why there are people who are experts in this. Because if you go and you want to make a case of international proportion, especially if it has a terroristic element you're going to have to really know what you're talking about and make it in a way that is compelling to all parties involved and to the international community.

And the more the scene is corrupted and the more holes there are in the theory, the more difficult that becomes.

WHITFIELD: And you're in an area where there are farms and then in some of the video that we're looking at right now, you can't see it but we can. And it showed, you know, someone who was near some luggage. Just passersby, people who live in the community are they -- are you witnessing them taking things or trying to organize materials thinking that they might be helpful, or is it more sinister in terms of some of the people involved trying to move things?

CUOMO: People were trying to be helpful. I don't know what happened before we got here but the locals and the miners, they were asked to volunteer. Whether they were compelled or not, they were trying to be helpful.

I didn't see anybody stealing, but I'll tell you the evidence of what you don't see is very concerning. I've been at crash sites before. You see people's personal effects, you see their cell phone, their wallet, their purse. None of any of the things that you would assume to be valuable are there. And you see luggage that seems to have been randomly repacked and that's a cause for concern obviously in terms of potential looting.

Again, I can't tell you I saw any, but I saw evidence of things at the scene that certainly raised questions about the integrity of the site. And also you remember, again, the overlay of this is why did this plane come out of the sky, assuming it wasn't an accident, assuming it was intentional. It's because it was mistaken as a part of a conflict or it was intentionally targeted as part of a conflict and that conflict is hot, Fred.

I mean, these people are very ready to be violent. There are great signs of artillery usage and guys firing in the air. Some very little reason. People are very much on edge here. The very active debris of war fare.

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Cuomo, thank you so much. We'll check back with you momentarily.

So we know the number of victims of Flight 17 in terms of where they are from, representing 12 nations. But how thorough will the investigation of this tragedy be? Here's what Malaysia's Transport minister is worried about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIOW RIONG LAI, MALAYSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER: Malaysia is deeply concerned that the crash site has not been properly secured. The integrity of the site has been compromised and there are indication that vital evidence has not been preserved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk more about this. CNN aviation analyst Peter Goelz and Barry Pavel, vice president of the Atlantic Council and a former National Security Council official.

Peter, let me begin with you. How concerning is it to you about how this evidence may have been tampered with, how it has been moved? Whether it be, you know, just to help out or whether it be of sinister, I guess, intentions? How does this complicate the investigators' job of trying to gather their own evidence?

PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, it complicates it greatly, Fredricka. I mean, all you need to see is the activities that Chris has been reporting on, and you know that those involved are doing everything in their power trying to secure the evidence, and what's needed is the investigators need to get on the ground and they need to get on the ground in an organized way.

And I think ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, needs to step forward, announce an investigative body, announce leadership and say these folks need to get on the ground immediately. We don't --

WHITFIELD: What would be standing in the way of that?

GOELZ: Well, there's the question of safety and it's up to the Ukrainians and frankly the Russians to guarantee safety in that area so the investigators can get in. I mean, you can tell the -- a missile going off in proximity to an aircraft, we tested that sort of thing after TWA 800. It leaves distinctive markings. These are inward facing high order holes in the aircraft that have bits of metal from the missile in the hole.

We can test that. But if they're moving wreckage, if they're moving individuals, if they are trying to steal the black boxes, it compromises the investigation.

WHITFIELD: So I wonder, Barry, if those markings are removed, then won't satellite imagery help substantiate the use of a missile at what time and from what direction?

BARRY PAVEL, VICE PRESIDENT, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Well, I don't know if we had -- if there was appropriate satellite coverage. I haven't seen those details but I do know that Mr. Putin is very good at least one thing. He's a former KGB officer and the propaganda war has already begun about this tragic incident and it's going to continue. So I think no matter how much evidence that the Western nations gather and show, I think Russia will always spin a different tail because Putin has been playing a two-part strategy through this whole Ukrainian crisis.

Number one, being very open diplomatically, engaging, calling for ceasefires, sort of playing the game, but always, number two, a covert set of activities. Special forces, intelligence operatives, training some of the local people in eastern Ukraine.

To me there is no doubt that there are Russian intelligence operatives that have been significantly involved in this, but I don't think in the court of public opinion Russia will ever agree to change its strategy or to change its story. WHITFIELD: So then, Peter, often an investigation like this involving

downing of a plane, eyewitness accounts are so important in evidence gathering and in this case, given that this is a hostile region, it's likely that many of the eyewitnesses will be reticent to even say anything because of the sheer intimidation. So is it likely to just remove that potential element from the evidence gathering?

GOELZ: Well, I think it will. I mean, the reality is eyewitness accounts is that if you don't get them almost immediately after the event, their assistance to the investigation diminishes greatly because they are influenced by who they talk to, what they read, what other people are saying. So I would say, say, the eyewitness end of this investigation is just about over and that it's going to be a technical investigation and it's going to be metallurgical investigation.

WHITFIELD: All right. Peter Goelz, Barry Pavel, thanks to both of you gentlemen. Appreciate it.

GOELZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Also, still to come, fingers are pointed at pro-Russian rebels for the downing of this Flight 17, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing his share of criticism from around the globe to inside his own country. More on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for a thorough and objective investigation of the crash. Still he's putting the blame squarely on Ukraine for the downed airliner.

Mr. Putin is now facing enormous pressure not only from a frustrated international community but from inside his own country.

Brian Todd explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vladimir Putin responded to this horror in predictable fashion, by hunkering down, deflecting blame toward Ukraine.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (Through Translator): This tragedy would not have happened if there had been peace on that land or if military operations in southeastern Ukraine had not be renewed.

TODD: But U.S. leaders are blunt. While he didn't set the launch codes, Putin's support for the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine believed to have fired the missile. Place a heavy burden on the man in the Kremlin.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He has the most control over that situation. And so far at least he has not exercised it.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think he is responsible. TODD: Analysts say in the immediate aftermath of the Malaysia

Airlines crash Vladimir Putin is under enormous pressure.

STEVEN PIFER, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: This is one of the most difficult situations that Vladimir Putin has faced since he first became president back in 2000.

TODD: Of his most powerful partners, Germany is pressuring him to pull back his support of pro-Russian rebels and China is not saying anything one way or the other. Analysts say his only visible supporters in the immediate aftermath of the crash may be Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad or Cuba's Raul Castro.

And it could get worse. The consequences for Putin if he interferes with the crash investigation, if he doesn't ratchet back tensions with Ukraine?

PIFER: The consequences are very severe sanctions. For example, the West could cut off any access to the Russian financial markets from any financing, from any loans from the West.

TODD: But experts say Putin is under pressure inside Russia as well from hard line nationalists who want him to take back some of Ukraine.

PROF. ANGELA STENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: And he's already come under pressure from them because they say he allowed the Ukrainian military forces to take back one of the major cities that was under occupation.

TODD: All prompting the inevitable question -- how will this man who hates to be painted into a corner respond to all the pressure?

(On camera): His unpredictability there has many on edge. Analysts say Putin could get more aggressive with Ukraine. He could simply ride this out. He could de-escalate with Ukraine while helping nominally with an investigation. Analysts say one thing Putin is not likely to do is to bring whoever fired the missile to justice. A trial or any proceeding like that, they say, might reveal hard information about where they got the weapon.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. So relations are strained between Russia and just about everybody. But there are ripple effects as well. This single act is likely to have global implications.

Already the Malaysian government is demanding tough action. Here is what the country's Transport minister said earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIONG LAI: This outreach cannot go unpunished. Once again, Malaysia condemn this brutal act of aggression and call for those responsible to be found and to face a full court of justice without delay. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's bring in Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former assistant secretary of defense.

Mr. Korb, good to see you.

LAWRENCE KORB, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Nice to see you.

WHITFIELD: So you were in the Reagan administration when the Soviets shot down a Korean airliner in 1983 killing 263 passengers. What kind of punishment are we talking about in this case especially once it's determined who really is to blame here.

KORB: Well, this is much different because what happened was a Korean Airline actually penetrated Soviet airspace. And it was way off course. It wasn't like this plane which was flying in a route that commercial planes had been flying to for quite a while.

And the Russian scrambled military planes, it was dark at night, you couldn't see whether it was a commercial plane or actually was a reconnaissance plane which we had been flying near that area as well so it was completely different.

But what's similar is the reaction of then President Reagan and now President Obama because President Reagan, like Obama, denounced it, but basically said we have to get the international community and we have to act in a very calm, you know, but firm manner. And I think the great irony of people are saying, well, you know, Obama ought to act more like Reagan. He is exactly right. Let's have an investigation. Let's get the facts.

And what has happened here is this is so horrible that the international community, except maybe for the United States and some of the Eastern European countries, had been ignoring Ukraine. But now people are saying, wait a second, we've got to do something here and I think you're going to get much more support for the sanctions that ironically President Obama put on like the day before this happened.

WHITFIELD: So when you say the international community, is that compromised now of the 12 nations represented by the victims on board that plane? I mean, you know, how does this coalition get assembled?

KORB: Well, what happened, for example, Obama put the sanctions on -- increased the sanctions actually the day before this -- before this happened. The Europeans were somewhat lukewarm and, you know, they're worried about losing their energy supplies from Russia but when you see all of these European stein their population is going to say to their governments, you've got to do something about this.

And I think that's what -- even the Australians were upset because they were going to have that AIDS convention down there, said, hey, Putin, don't come to the G-20. And if you can't, you know, do that, I mean, in this world today, the economies are so interconnected and as Ambassador Pifer said in your run-up, I mean, if they get cut off to the world's, you know, financial system, this could hurt. Look at what's happened, for example, in Iran.

WHITFIELD: So then with this international, you know, community support or at least everyone being on the same page to kind of apply some pressure here, if some of that pressure is targeted toward Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and the request being -- the demand being made that he can actually de-escalate the situation, is that the kind of leverage it's going to take to get a Putin to respond?

KORB: Oh, very definitely because of the fact that while, you know, some folks in Russia now are saying, you know, we got to take back Ukraine and sort of, you know, reassemble the Soviet Union, the quality of life in there is not good and if it gets worse, their economy has already -- I mean, the value of their, you know, currency has already declined. They had to cut a deal with China for energy which really was not favorable to them.

And I think, you know, those -- those people are going to put pressure on Putin. A lot of them are his friends. These oligarchs who helped keep him in power.

WHITFIELD: Lawrence Korb, thank you so much. Very fascinating. Appreciate it.

KORB: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then another bloody day in Gaza. As fighting between Israel and Hamas heats up, Martin Savidge is live for us in Jerusalem.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. Yes, the casualty count on both sides continue to go up today. Plus the Israeli military has released a new one. It's a dramatic footage the demonstrates what they say is the threat all Israelis face.

We'll show it to you live from Israel right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now for the latest on the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Palestinian officials say more than 300 people have been killed inside Gaza. Israeli Defense Forces say two of its soldiers were killed in action in central Gaza today.

The Israeli military has focused on unearthing tunnels it says Hamas is using to get inside Israeli.

Martin Savidge is live for us right now in Jerusalem.

So, Martin, what is the situation right now there?

SAVIDGE: Hello, Fredricka. Well, I thought I was going to be telling you that this was overall a quieter day when it came to rockets that were launched out of Gaza towards Israel. But we noted that as the sun went down the number of rockets seemed to increase this evening. We'll show you a live image of the Gaza skyline tonight. Just keeping

an eye out for any potential rocket launches or any airstrikes or artillery strikes coming from Israel.

Let me tell you a bit about the day today. This was the deadliest day for Israelis since this conflict began on July 8th. Early this morning there was an Israeli civilian that was killed by a rocket allegedly launched out of Gaza. That civilian was in the Negev region. There were also a number of other people wounded including a 3-month-old child. That according to the military.

And then on top of that, two Israeli soldiers were killed when their jeep was apparently struck by an RPG just outside of Gaza as they were on patrol down there. There was an ensuing gun battle after that. And it's said that a number of Israeli soldiers were wounded and a number of militants were killed.

Now to this video now. This is coming from the Israeli military and what it shows is a number of things but, first, you see the missile launches. Very quick flashes. Then you saw the retaliatory strike by the Israeli military. It's all what you would say night scope kind of footage. The blast of the building, and then after that, you see what appeared to be two figures running away. They eventually are targeted and taken out.

This is the Israeli's military way of showing that look, this is the sort of threat that Israelis are facing on a day-to-day basis. Meanwhile, we should also say that Palestinians are also facing their own kind of threat and the death toll in Gaza now stand at 341. There were 45 people killed there today according to sources there -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then what's the point of view from the Israeli military in terms of their progress report?

SAVIDGE: Well, of course, you know, this whole conflict took a change on Thursday night when Israeli forces began moving in on the ground. And the Israeli military says it has to do this if it really wants to work at tackling the Hamas military infrastructure. They can bomb as they have done for weeks. But they can only degrade so much from the air so they are going in and what they're specifically looking for is not just caches of weapons and rockets which are being fired against Israel. They're looking for tunnels.

And the tunnels are used in a number of ways, it is said, by the military, that Hamas uses them to, one, try to infiltrate into Israeli and, two, also to hide weapons. So they go after them, the Israeli military, by blowing them up or, in some cases, going in with heavy earth moving equipment. And that's why they have to go in and do this on the ground. It literally requires soldiers doing this and they say so far they've destroyed 13 tunnels. They believe there are many more yet to be found -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Incredible.

All right. Martin Savidge, thank you so much. Every hour we're learning more about the 298 civilians and crew on

board Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. They're from 14 countries. And all from different walks of life. These are just some of the victims of Flight 17.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Mortgage rates remain steady this week. Have a look at where they stand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello and welcome to our viewers from the United States and around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A pro-Russian rebel leader is responding to allegations that his fighters shot down Malaysia Airliner Flight 17. You can see them -- him, rather, right there in the blue shirt.

The rebel leader told a news conference he believes the flight was shot down but denies his forces did it. He told reporters the rebels lack the firepower to hit an airplane that high up. But earlier Ukraine's prime minister claimed someone well-trained fired a Russian made Buk missile at Flight 17.

The plane originated in Amsterdam with 298 people on board. More than half of those passengers were from the Netherlands. They are being remembered by relatives and friends who are trying to cope with this tragedy.

Here is CNN's Alexander Field with their stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NOAH SNEIDER, FREELANCE JOURNALIST: As you walk through the field and you see the bodies and you see, you know, a man with his back iPhone sticking out of his pocket.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I was thinking about those people being knocked out of the sky. It's pretty tough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just -- it's unbelievable. It's not really real yet.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sister Philomene Tiernan, an Australian nun, a beloved teacher at Kincoppal-Rose Bay School was heading home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's been a great mentor and she is also a personal friend. So we're just devastated. The shock has been incredible. She very much brought love in all her interactions with everybody.

FIELD: Nick Norris was traveling with his three young grandchildren. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just gentle, clever, beautiful kids.

PAUL GUARD, SON OF MH-17 PASSENGER ROGER AND JILL GUARD: Most magnificent parents to us as kids. My sister and my brother David and myself and just generally the most wonderful people and absolutely devastated to lose them.

AMANDA KOOPMAN, DAUGHTER OF MH-17 PASSENGER ROGER AND JILL GUARD: Mom, we love you. And we love you so much and we going to miss you so much.

FIELD: Families in pain now turning to prayer from Malaysia to Moscow. In Amsterdam and Ukraine.

SNEIDER: Clothing everywhere. Most of it is kind of ripped off by the air. There's some suitcases and stuff.

OBAMA: The deaths are an outrage of unspeakable proportions.

FIELD: Quinn Lucas Schansman is the only American to be identified so far. Karlijn Keijzer was a Dutch doctoral student and a rower at Indiana University.

SNEIDER: People have been, I guess, you know, listening to music, watching movies, and so they've been (INAUDIBLE).

FIELD: Glenn Thomas, the spokesperson for the World Health Organization, about to celebration his 50th birthday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His twin sister says he died doing what he loved.

FIELD: Joep Lange, a leading AIDS researcher, on his way to an international HIV/AIDS conference.

OBAMA: These were men and women who had dedicated their own lives to saving the lives of others and they were taken from us in a senseless act of violence.

FIELD: They leave burning questions behind. What if? What for?

Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me again is aviation analyst Peter Goelz.

All right. There is growing outrage about how the remains are being handled. We are also hearing some reports that certain items of debris are being removed.

So how concerned are you that by the time international aviation investigators do have access to these crash sites and it's been now two days since many of them have not, are you worried that by the removal of these charred debris pieces and these bodies, that there will be very little in which to piece together what really happened? Or will there still be plenty, in your view?

GOELZ: On the treatment of family members, the treatment of the human remains and their personal property, for just a second, Fredricka, because it's important. Following TWA Flight 800 in 1996, the U.S. government, the Congress and the president gave the NTSB the authority here in the U.S. to set up a program on how do you care in the maximum possible way to the family members, how do you treat the victims with the greatest respect, and how do you control the access to their belongings.

Because these are incredibly important to family members, that this is -- that none of this is taking place following this accident is really, you know, it is despicable because the tragedy of the accident itself, of the shoot-down, is terrible and the way that the follow-up is going on is really just unacceptable.

But will there be evidence to determine what happened to this aircraft? Absolutely. Even their best efforts of trying to cover it up, whoever is doing that, will fail.

WHITFIELD: You know, I guess it should be no surprise that if a plane is to fall in a hostile area, then anyone who is going to go through the debris is not going to have the level of expertise nor are they going to care about what investigators need. But at this juncture, since international players are being kept out because this is a hostile area and there is some pressure or there is a request out there that perhaps Russia should be involved in the investigation, do you see that as helping, advancing or further hindering if Russia -- investigators were to be on the ground and involved?

GOELZ: There's only two things the Russians should offer right now. One is protection and safety in the area that they have greatest control over with their surrogates, the separatists. And the second thing is transparency. They cannot be involved in conducting the investigation, they cannot have a leadership role there. And frankly the Ukrainians have already acknowledged that they shouldn't have a leadership role. It should be an independent transparent investigation.

I believe the Dutch and/or the Malaysians should co-lead the investigation. They have a great deal of -- at stake. You know, 192 citizens from the Netherlands and it was a Malaysian aircraft.

WHITFIELD: And I'm sure the desire is there that Malaysian authorities would want to be there, and Netherlands authorities would want to be there, but if they are being denied access, I mean, how can they possibly circumvent that?

GOELZ: Well, they can't unless an organization like ICAO, the Civil Aviation Organization under the U.N. sets up the structure, identifies who is going to chair and then calls on the nations of the world to support this, particularly aiming at Russia and the Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: All right, Peter Goelz, always a pleasure talking to you. Thanks so much.

GOELZ: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: The sheer size of Flight 17, that debris field tells indeed a story. It is spread over several miles. Four to six miles. Our Chad Myers is here to tell us all about that.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That will also aid the investigators figuring out what happened, where pieces landed and where they didn't. I'll have that coming up right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Debris over Flight MH-17 is spread over many tiles. In fact, one observer is calling it the biggest crime scene in the world.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers with me now with more on this field and this just colossal challenge.

MYERS: Right. And trying to put this as gentle terms as possible.

What that means is that the plane came apart in the sky. The plane came apart violently in the sky. It was torn apart by the wind, doing 500 miles per hour as it did finally heads its way down toward the land.

And this is the reason why we know -- these investigators are going to use everything. They're going to use the video. They're going to use everything that they can put their hands on but what they are going to realize when they find out that the stretch here of the debris field coming in from the northwest and along the same area, this is right where our reporters are right now on the ground, and this area right through here, Fred.

This is the area that the debris is, in a long line like that headed toward the south and toward the southeast, and this from here to here, four to six square miles. So the lighter pieces fell off the plane and almost fluttered to the ground.

It's -- when I see some of the pieces of the air frame or the wing, they look untouched but, yet, also what the investigators will notice is that the plane, as it came in, the body of the plane, the bulk, the mass of the plane went the farthest. It had the most momentum. It had the fuel in the tank.

The plane technically wasn't on fire on the way down because there's no smoke on the way to that initial explosion that we see. So there is a lot that these guys are going to talk about. The lighter pieces fell down first. The heavier pieces had more momentum. They went farther but what this means is that the air frame, the fuselage, everything was torn apart violently and it came down in so many piece. That's why the debris field is so big -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So that smoke, that plume of smoke that many people recall seeing, that fuel tank that it really exploded upon impact.

MYERS: It did.

WHITFIELD: As opposed to exploding in the air.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, the fire continuing.

MYERS: Right. And Miles O'Brien pointed it out, Spider marks pointed that out, that there was not this line of smoke on the way to the big explosion. The explosion happened almost all by itself right as the fuel tanks obviously are gone. And the fuel tanks were very fuel. This plane was only a third of the way if not less than that.

WHITFIELD: That's right. For a 12-hour flight.

MYERS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Chad Myers, thank you so much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: So there were several twists of fate involving the passengers on Flight 17 and some would-be passengers. That story is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There have been several twists of fate in the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Both tragic and life-saving. We've learned that one of the victims -- one victim's family also lost a relative aboard missing Malaysia Flight 370 and another family was supposed to have been on MH-17 but got bumped.

CNN's Deb Feyerick has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If it disappears, this is what it looked like, write Cor Pan, posting what's believed to be a photo of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on his Facebook page an hour before takeoff. The Dutchman making a dark joke referring to missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 which vanished from radar in March.

His is one of the only known photos by a passenger purportedly of MH Flight 17, shot down in rebel-held area of Ukraine.

For this MH-17 passenger Mohamed Ali Mohamed Salim, the missing flight was also very much on his mind. Under the hashtag, "Feeling a little nervous," he posted video, purported to be the inside of Flight 17. Listen as a flight attendant prepares the cabin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are in our final stages of boarding and cargo loading. Once again, to ensure that there are (INAUDIBLE) flight Kuala Lumpur International.

FEYERICK: Australian Kaylene Mann's story is too much to believe. Still grieving her brother who vanished aboard Flight 370, she now lost her stepdaughter on Flight 17. And then there's a married couple, both Malaysian Airline flight attendants. The wife allegedly swapped shifts off missing Flight 370 and survived, but her husband, Sanjid Singh, swapped shifts on to Flight 17. Sadly he died along with the other 297 passengers and crew.

But there are other would-be passengers who are counting their blessings today, thanks to a chance decision or a twist of fate that kept them off the doomed flight.

IZZY SIM, BUMPED OFF FLIGHT 17: I was thinking, I feel I've been given a second chance, and so hopefully that I will get there safely and I will see my family again.

FEYERICK: Izzy Sim, her husband and baby were bumped off the full flight.

SIM: I'm feeling physically sick. I was, like, from the Hilton, the Hague, coming to the airport in the taxi, I was just crying.

FEYERICK: Also supposed to be on Flight 17, Juan Jovel and his bride Simone La Posta. After a five-and-a-half week honeymoon they switched flights to return to work without jetlag.

JUAN JOVEL, WOULD-BE PASSENGER OF FLIGHT 17: Feeling lucky, but at the same time, my heart bleeds for these families that, you know, expecting their loved ones to come home.

FEYERICK: Stories of improbable loss and improbable survival. Each one resonates because each one reminds us how fine the line is between what was and what might have been.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we're following the latest developments with Flight 17 but we're also watching other stories today. Still to come a family feud doesn't end with the death of a radio legend.

Casey Kasem as his daughters fight to know where their father's body is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following several other stories this hour in the NEWSROOM.

Alexandra Field has more on that.

Hi, Alexandra.

FIELD: Hey, Fred. Raging wildfires in Washington state forced hundreds to flee. One hundred homes are gone. Entire towns are threatened. The flames now span 170,000 acres. The fire was started by lightning. So far no one has been hurt. A sexual assault suspect appears in court to answer charges, beaten

and bruised. Raymond Frolander was attacked by a Florida man who says he came home and found the 18-year-old sexually abusing his 11-year- old son. The father then called 911, telling police the suspect who was a family friend was, quote, "nice and knocked out."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF MIKE CHITWOOD, DAYTONA BEACH POLICE: And you have somebody you trust around your son. An 18-year-old person who you trust around your son. And your basic instinct to protect your kid and the anger as a father, I understand what he was doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Daytona Beach Police say the father will not be charged for beating the suspect.

A family feud is reignited almost a month after the death of radio host Casey Kasem. Kasem's daughter Carey says the family doesn't know where her father's body is. A funeral home in Washington state confirms it had been in possession of the body but says that's no longer the case. In the months before his death, Kasem's wife and adult children had battled in public and in court over medical decisions. His wife of more than 30 years, Jean Kasem, tells CNN, the body is not missing. A bitter battle for that family, Fred.

WHITFIELD: It is indeed. Thanks so much, Alexandra, appreciate that.