let's go to scott heidler in donetske. hi there scott. what more do we know about the ukrainian transport plane that was shot down? >> julie we just returned from luhansk and we were out in the area when this news was coming through about this transport plane being brought down. interesting things: we know the ukrainian army holds the airport just outside luhansk, where the airplane went down, and supply drops, what the central kyiv government says this plane was doing, eight people on board, had supplies, brought down very close to the russian border and something coming out of the government here. they are saying the ukrainian

al jazeera scott heidler was one of the first journalists to ash at the scene. he joins us. >> over my shoulder you'll see that that is the tail section of the triple 7 boeing aircraft. it is lying on its side, 200 metres up from that, there is the tail section below the section. back where the laboratories are at the back of the aircraft. up the street to the left, appears to be a bit of views lij. it was smouldering a couple of minutes ago. there was a baggage hold there. we could see tourist books. someone on their way to bali for vacation. children's toys, and down the street there's a farmers field, a road going down, and there's another chunk of the views lij. it was smouldering when we arrived. the fire brigade had to go and put it out. they are telling us 10km circumference where the debris landed. it was dark when rescue crews arrived. they are not doing much then or much now. they are waiting for daylight to go in. they told us they have not found the black box or removed the bodies. they said that they'll in straight international bodies to come in. t

we want to go out to the crash site, and scott heidler filed this report. >> reporter: we're seeing four di distinct debris fields. that is the malaysian 777 crash site. up the street on the left-hand side what would appear to be the fuselage, it was still smoldering just a couple of minutes ago. clearly there was a baggage hold there because we could see books, tourist books, someone who is obviously on their way to bali for vacation. children toys. and this is a farmer's field. another farmer's field on the other side. a road going down and then further down beyond that there is another chunk of the fuselage. that was smoldering. it was smoldering when we arrived and it recaught on fire. the fire brigade had to put it out. they're telling us 10 kilometers circumference is where the debris landed in these fields. there were rescue officials when we were here, but they were dark and so they're not doing much. they weren't doing much then and they weren't doing much now. they have told us that they have not found the black box. they have not removed any of the bodies. they said they're go

al jazeera scott heidler met a group of children and teachers who say they're hoping the violence ends soon. >> reporter: 17-year-old lydia gets good grades and wants to be a journalist. she has been living in an orphanage on the outskirts of donetsk. but in the middle of the night last friday all these children were evacuated by separatist fighters to an orphanage in--onetsk city. >> we went to bed and the bombing started. it was the scariest thing, a city of sleeping people and then there is bombing. >> reporter: just on the other side of the orphanage,s also an orphan, this woman grew up here. she's now a teacher. >> i hope god will help us, that the children will come back hear and we'll have peace in our land. >> his mother in law's body is in his car. he kim to check in on her and found her charred remains. >> we need to bury her but i can't find the right authorities. thank goodness my wife is not with me. >> reporter: ukrainian officials say nine civilians died in two days of shelling. the children got out just in time. for the 33 orphans here it's a peaceful and welcomed chang

scott heidler, describing the screen -- scene there at the crash sight. there is diplomatic pressure on russia to provide help and information. let's speak to rory challands in moscow. russia has been condemned by the u.s. and other countries. vladimir putin blames for supplying weapons to the rebels. how is russia responding to all of this pressure? >> well, let's have a look at russia's position. it's not good. as you say, russia stood accused for some time of supplying the rebels in east ukraine with weaponry and also expertise. whether or not it is actually doing that, russia certainly does have an interest in keeping western influence in ukraine to a minimum, and in keeping the government in kiev off balance. so now something cataclysmic has happened which completely changes the came and will likely make countries that have been giving russia the benefit of the doubt of the those countries now are likely to swing in behind the u.s. and start advocating for tougher sanctions against moscowment moscow has a choice - does it turn its back on the rebels,

scott heidler is at the scene for us, and, scott, tell us what's happening there today. the monitors going to be returning? >> reporter: yes, we are hearing, we are getting world that we will be returning and later in the morning. they are going to face, and what we faced on the way in, is lighter armed separatist presence quite honestly compared to the last two days that we have been here, last day and a half that we have been here. there are still some checkpoints on the way here, once you get to the site where we are, there is a very light presence, only a couple down of streets here, a couple armed separatist fighters, i can see a couple now. so they are going face a much lighter presence, how they react, if there are more coming in, if there are more coming with them, that's left to be determined. but we do know that they are go going to give it another go. what else we have seen? like we saw yesterday, friday, these emergency workers going out fanning out in that 15-square kilometers that you were talking about, julie, looking for more bodies and more remains. thos

scott heidler, you were one of the first journalists on the scope. what are you seeing now. [ inaudible ] update for you. the european observer missions, o.s.c.e. are here on site, here for almost an hour. it was an interesting situation when they arrived. we were along a checkpoint. they put a bus in the middle of the road preventing the european observer submission. it's a discussion. they walked up. there are other discussions. the o.s.c.e. asked to go at certain points. they have - the european observers were not allowed to go to some areas and as well on friday. they have taken a quick look. it's an hour into this. things are asking a little bit. they were talking about observers. they have spoken with a couple of people. they are not investigating as you said. it's nothing that the malaysian and the dutch authorities are looking forward to to get their people in here, in the eyes of the nation that have had people on the aircraft. >> we have red reports that pro-russian rebels fired shots into the air before allowing observers to get in. since

they have yet to observe. >> scott heidler on the scene. on the crash investigation the united states is joining in. the reccage lies in disputed territory, adding to the risk. even for those helping. lisa stark break-ins us the details now. >> reporter: there was early promising news. the rebels who hold the area of eastern ukraine indicated that they would call for a caes fear, that they would allow access to the crash site, and then re learnt that the first independent observers had helicoptered in. they are with the organization for security and organise ag in europe -- organisation in europe. 17 made it in, coming by helicopter and car. once they got there, they found they did not have the access they needed, did not have the unfettered access to look around the area. they left after only 75 minutes. the state department was asked about that. the spokesman saying it was a big concern. she repeated the administration's call for unfettered access to this crash site, which investigators say is critical. they need to get in there and look

scott heidler joins me from outside donetsk. can you confirm for us, scott, is the ukranian flag now flying over the buildings that were held by anti-government forces in slovyansk? >> we can't confirm that that flag is flying. what we can confirm, we have seen a separatist tanks and armoured personnel carriers coming down the road that i'm standing on. in the direction of donetsk, the second-largest city, a strategically important city heading in that direction, or if they are around in between the two points that the separatists held for weeks on end. that is left to be determined. the president ordered that the flag fly over slovyansk. if that's happening right now we are sure that's about 90, 80km away from our position. we can tell you that these fourses, separatist forces, are on the move. are they gearing up for a fight. it has not started yet. donetsk is the second-largest city. how the ukranian forces are going to deal with the situation if the separatist most is going there and bunkering themselves in there, that's left

scott heidler joins us from donetsk in eastern ukraine. we are hearing reports that there has been an uptick in civilian casualties. what can you see there? >> most definitely. particularly in luhansk, to the east of here, donetsk province, what we saw first hand, there's intense fighting in the city. we had shelves coming close to us. we know there's been fighting again today on tuesday. now, in a 2-day, 48-hour window, when you look at luhansk, there has been more than 32 killed. the vast majority, the majority are civilians. they are the numbers we know now. information is difficult to get out. when you look at the numbers we do have, you imagine they are a little higher. that's in a 2-day total. looking over the last 10 days there's an increase in the fighting in donetsk and luhansk. there has been a study increase in civilian casualties. >> as you see, the casualty numbers increase, there are tensions on the diplomatic front between russia and ukraine. >> absolutely, there's a couple of incidents spiking the tension between the two na

scott heidler has given us this update. >> hundreds of separatist fighters on the food headed south as pushed out. cars and minnie bands leaving the northern front, a position held for three months near the russian border. >> it's a major victory for the central government in kiev. reconnaissance units of the armed forces and nard are operational. ukraine's president gave on order restoring the functioning of state and raising the flag on the administration building. >> this is the direction that the separatist fighters were heading here to donetsk. several hundred arrived throughout the day. officials told people to stay off the streets. outgunned and outnumbered, separatist leaders say they had no choice but to retreat, leaving behind a key stronghold. >> the rebels do not have enough power to control the city. that's why they made the decision to retreat. taking a step back does not mean you have lost. after the set back the separatists have two choices - dig in for a stand with the ukranian forces or go back to the negotiations and work towards bringing an end to fighting that kill

being scott heidler is there. >> hundreds of separatist fighters who retreated south are here in donetske tired and regrouping they say they will fight on. >> i'm very glad they came here from slovyansk. we welcome them with open arms. we are confident our victory is not far away. since the 23rd of february i'm confident in our victory. >> reporter: a day after ukrainian forces pounded, the war is far from over. >> ukrainian president has underlined there will be no unilateral cease fire. it will happen only if terrorists unconditionally give up weapons and the ukrainian russian border is restored, after the organization for cooperation and security in europe. >> hundreds gathered to protest the military action by the central government in kyiv but elsewhere in the city usually home to 1 million people it was unnaturally empty. these are not normal times. while it might be quiet here it's very tense at the checkpoints that rick the city. they are the first line of defense for city where hundreds of the separatists fighterrers are now based. but for some it is about protecting something mo

scott heidler is there with the story. >> clear evidence the final battle for slovyansk was heart fawd. also no doubt that the ukrainian army is wasting no time. ah a convoy mooch on after gaining control of the city. this is after months of shelling and attacks, try to get back to normal advice. the minister of internal affairs paid them a visit. >> it is clear that if russia stops supplying tanks supporting the separatists, stop sending foreign infighters, the situation will be sofd in two weeks. >> reporter: maria stayed in her apartment block. it was shelled several times. >> we hope as they promised the government will help rebuild our homes. we are left without hope. we have lived here for 41 years, we have nowhere else to go. >> many of the soldiers who fought here over the last three months are headed south for other battles. now officials here are telling us those battles are going to be much different than what happened here. the tactics for separatists and the ukrainian army has to change. the city is larger so the concern over civilian casualties is greater. different battl

scott heidler has that. >> the remains are in these refrigerated train carriages. after itselfing for more than 30 hours, they finally left terez. bound for kharkiv. the first step in getting these bodies from the crash scene to their families. another team of international investigators also arrived in kharkiv a city about five hours north of the crash site and beyond the reach of separatist control. the teams here are waiting to get on with their job receiving the bodies and accessing the large area where this plane went down. there is much work ahead and a recent flare up of fighting could make that even more difficult. the bodies will then make their way to the netherlands to continue the investigation. again underline russia is to blame. >> translator: it is also absolutely clear that the drunken pro-russian terrorists cannot operate a missile system. these are separatists who have been trained and we have information confirming that the training took place on russian territory. they received financing, weapons, training and education from russia. >> reporter:

scott heidler, al jazeera, ukraine. >> phil ittner joins us. where is prime minister david cameron of england come down on thissing conflict? >> well, categorically with anger. and david cameron came to the house of commons and the parliament building behind me today in an extraordinary session in which he says that russia is very much responsible for what is going on in the east of the country. and creating the atmosphere that allowed for this incident the downing of the plane on the 17th. and this is something that was reiterated on both sides of the aisle, opposition members also condemning russia outright. they are also calling for harder and more harsh sanctions against russia if they continue to support those separatists. david cameron is clear, he knows there are divisions within the european union about how to approach this. but as far as the brits are concerned, no matter whether there's economic damage to their own budgets, this is something that needs to be done now. he also took a moment out to point some -- make some points about h

scott heidler is there. is. >> reporter: the remains of 282 victims from mh17 are in these refrigerated railroad cars. escorted by six members of the malaysian recovery team. it is the next step to get these out of ukraine and closer to their families. earlier, the european union monitoring mission visited the area about 16 kilometers from where the plane came down. kharkiv, city about five miles north, and beyond separatist control. receiving the bodies and accessing the large area where this plane went down. there is much work ahead and a recent flareup in fighting could make that even more difficult. the bodies will make their way to the netherlands for fur investigation. underlined russia is to blame. >> translator: it is also absolutely clear that the drunken pro-russian terrorists cannot operate a missile system. these are separatists who have been trained and we have information confirming that the training took place on russian territory. they received financing, weapons, training and education from

but they have yet to arrive. >> al jazerra's scott heidler on the scene. on the crash investigation itself, the united states is quickly joining in, but the wreckage lies in, as we have said, despited territory. adding to the risk even for those just trying to help. al jazerra's lisa stark brings us the details now. >> there was some early news that appeared progra promising n the day the rebels who hold this area of eastern ukraine had indicated that they would call for a ceasefire, that they would allow access to the crash site. and then we learned, in fact, that the first independent observers had helicoptered in. they are with the organization for security and cooperation in europe. 17 observers did make it to the crash site, they came by helicopter and then by car. but the problem is once they got there, they found they did not have the kind of access that they needed. they did not have the unfettered access to really look around the area. so they left. after only 75 minutes. the state department was asked about that today. spokesman jen saying that w

scott heidler was one of the first international journalists to reach the scene and sent this report.porter: as the sun rose, it revealed the scope of just how difficult the recovery and investigation will be for flight mh 17. the debris rests in a vast area around these wheat fields. >> translator: there was an explosion in the sky above the house. i came out to see what happened. the plane then fell down in many pieces. as it was falling it broke apart. all of the pieces were falling in the sky. >> reporter: emergency workers began the difficult task of marking the bodies and body parts. as the rescue workers were fanned out across the fields, we were close to this debris field when some of them came up, and we overheard one saying to the other, he said there are too many bodies in there, i don't have enough stakes and white flags. >> translator: we came here because it's just a tragedy. we want to help find out what happened and to top people from thinking there are just terrorists here. >> reporter: just a few hours after the crash the heard of the pro-russian separatists visited

scott heidler, al jazeera, donetsk. >> california californians facing good news and perhaps some badsident obama discussing climate change and promised more help with drought relief. that after california water commission announced californians will be punished. >> reporter: this may cost you with water supplies running desperately slow, low, and the three-year-long drought show nothing signs of it clearing up. the water control board met tuesday to discuss mandatory cut backs. the new regulation include fines up to $500 a day for residents who are hosing their cars without shut off nozzles, hosing down sidewalks and allowing sprinklers are-to-run in the street. they'll also face fines for defying court ordered conservation measures. most cities are likely to have a sliding scale for fines that starts with a warning and increases as citations continue. >> many people don't realize it, but they overwater. >> reporter: reporting neighbors and others seen flouting the rules. >> our water use has gone up exponentially over the last two years. obviously we can't be everywhere, so having p

scott heidler reports. >> it's the escalation everywhere has been bracing for in donetsk. fighting reached the western suburbs, killing four people overnight. >> at 3:30 in the morning we were sitting outside on the bench when we were hit with a waive of explosions. 10 of us were thrown into the base by the heat of explosion. it was so scary. >> the rocket attacks continued into saturday. it's unclear who fired the rockets. a separatist fire base is close to the four buildings hit. >> this is the main road going south. hundreds of cars and drugs lined up to leave as it braces for some type of confrontation. a lot of people made the decision to leave because the fighting on saturday came closer to the city. >> this morning i wept home from the office and decided to bring the family out of here, and take them to safety. on the other side of the city, the 327 train to moscow was getting ready to leave. the thumping of mortar rounds could be heard in the distance as many held tearful goodbyes. this family were sending off the women and children while she and the men were stayi

ashlingsz's scott heidler was the first t.v.orter at the scene of the crash. >> the first memorial site for the 298 people aboard flight mh-17. her son's house meters away from the 777. >> it's sad for the people, the pilots, the children. it's awful to see something like this happening in our country. >> after lying uncovered in these fields since the plane fell from the sky, emergency workers put the bodies in bags and laid them on the roadside. these armed separatist fighters came down the hill to our location where we have been broadcasting for the last couple of hours and for the first time in 48 hours, since this crash happened, we have been told to get out of the area because investigators are coming in. after initial confusion and standoff, the montors were let into the areas of the crash but more negotiation was needed. >> i am saying no to the osce. they was eventually allowed into more areas of the crash site than their trip on friday, which ended with warning shots fired and an early exit. >> the incident flight is r

. >>> i'm scott heidler at the tempo in cambodia, where historians are using modern technology to answerncient questions. >>> a top story in the killings of a palestinian and israeli teenagers provoked calls for calm. israeli jets have hit terror activity sites and hamas targets and conseed rocket -- concealed rocket launchers. rockets have been fired from gaza strip into israel, one hitting a house in a border town. we are joined live from jerusalem. nas reen, give us the situation now in the aftermath of the night's voims. >> well, we heard the statements from the regular spokesperson from the israeli police who said three rockets were launched from gaza into southern israel, in an area close to gaza, and they damaged two houses. one of them was seriously damaged even if there was material damaged to a car parked outside much the second building, a summer camp for children was moderaty damaged. there were no casualties, according to the police. now in east jerusalem clashes continued overnight. these clashes started early in east jerusalem, where the palestinian boy is believed to have

scott heidler is there and sent this report. >> reporter: a day after fighters were pushed out of northern strongholds the central government called it a victory, but the war is far from over. >> the ukranian president underlined there would be no unilateral as soon as firl, only if terrorists have a cease fire and give up weapons and allow international observers in. >> reporter: hundreds of separatist fighters are in donetsk, tired and regroup k, but say they will fight on. >> i'm glad they came here. we welcome them with open amps. we are confident that victory is not far away. >> for a few hours hundreds gathered to protest the military action by the central government in kiev. elsewhere in the city, usually home to 1 million people, it was usually empty. on a normal sunday this would be teaming with families, these are not normal times, it's quiet here, but tense at the checkpoints that ring the city. >> they are an area that they are based. for some it's about protecting something important to them. we are ready to protect our homes and family, we'll stand to the end. >> reporter: th

scott heidler reports on those that stayed behind. >> reporter: on the outskirts of a strong hold, evidence that a battle for slovyansk was hard fought. no doubt that the ukranian army was wasting no time. vehicles move on after gaining control of the city. this, says the people, who live through months of shelling and attacks, get back to normal life. the minister of internal affairs paid them a visit, people asked about the way forward. >> translation: it's clear if russia seconds supplying tanks, the situation will be solved in the next two weeks. >> reporter: this woman stayed in her apartment block to help others that could not leave. it was shelled several times. >> we hope, as they promised, the government will help to reboot our homes. we are left with hopes. we lived here for 41 years, and have nowhere else to go. >> now that slovyansk is under the control of the central african republic many are heading south to other battles. officials tell us those battles are different to what happened here. the tactics for the fighters and the ukranian army have to change. hundreds of fighters

scott heidler reports. >> the remains of the victims are in these refrigerated rail cars. they're destination is unknown. -- their destination is unknown. they're under the control of the pro-russian separatists. it is north of the fighting and beyond the reach of separatist control. >> translator: we are ready to accept the bodies and hangars are prepared for wreckage. laboratories are ready. >> the teams here are waiting to get on with their job. receiving the bodies and accessing the large area where this plane went down. there is much work ahead and a recent flare up in fighting could make that even more difficult. the bodies will then make their ways to the netherlands for investigation. , again, underline, russia is to blame. >> translator: it is also absolutely clear that the drunken pro-russian terrorists cannot operate a missile system. these are separatists who have been trained and we have information confirming that the training took place on russian territory. they received financing, training and education from russia. >> reporter: russia's president pushed b

scott heidler reporting. thank you very much. >> let's look at the pictures. the train - there it is. torez, eastern ukraine. the train is carrying the remains of more than 250 of the passengers aboard that doomed malaysian jet. it's heading towards kharkiv. >>> not far from the crash site there has been heavying sheing in eastern donetsk. government forces are trying to take the city. there has been heavy fighting near the airport and the railway station. people have been warned to stay inside. nisreen el-shamayleh has this update now from donetsk. >> reporter: what is happening here in donetsk is an indication of just how divided a country this has become. you can hear shelling in the background. it's been intense in various parts of this city of one million residents, reduced to a few hundred thousand people because of the fighting. it seems the ukrainians, the army is trying to take the sitting back from separatist forces. they seem to be putting up a fight responding to that. we have seen tanks heading to the front line, hery art ill -- heavy artillery, a

let's go to scott heidler. what is happening where you are?the reason we are here is this is where key wants those bodies brought to. this is - we know now overnight the separatists administration said that 251 bodies have been found, and 96 body parts. so this is the place that the tral government wants -- central government wants those bodies brought to. this is a place outside the battle feed, more than 300km. they want them brought here, because it's easier and safer access for the family members to come, and investigators and the teams will have to identify. they will come here, a crisis center, and a facility, a makeshift morgue. that's why we are here. they are back and forth over where the bodies are going to go between the separatist fighters, those administering the area, controlling the area and the central government. this is important to those nations who had citizens on the plane. this is where kiev wants the bodies to come. >> and the nations who had citizens on those planes have, of course, been looking to russia, to say more a

scott heidler has the update. >> reporter: the train carrying 282 bodies arrived here at 11:00 in thening, and almost immediately began processing these bags that contain bodies and body parts. each one, they say is going to take approximately 30 minutes. as soon as they are ready they will be put on an airport and flown to the netherlands. they will probably be done in batches. meanwhile at the krach site investigators are combing through, trying to get other cluesover the material to try to stitch together exactly what happened. there are the european monitors also down at the scene. they say they are going to continue to go to make sure things are going well. but they also realized that even though they have both sides agreement, they will stay safe down there, but they also know this is a tense situation and it will be a long and difficult process. >>> in the eastern city of donetsk more fighten has broken out on monday. pro-russian rebels said ukrainian forces tried to take back the city. but kiev insists the clashes were with small proukrainian groups. the european union has thr

that's scott heidler in kharkiv for us. as scott mentioned, there has been more violence in eastern ukraine. this video is said to show the aftermath of heavy overnight shelling in the city of donetsk. government forces trying to recapture the city which pro-russia separatists have declared independent. and still ahead on al jazerra, grief and anger in the netherlands at the treatment of those killed when the malaysian passenger jet was shutdown in eastern ukraine. >>> plus count on the ground a recount, why 8 million votes are being audited in afghanistan. stay with us. so we're all set? yyyup. with xfinity internet your family can use all their devices at once. works anywhere in the house. even in the garage. max what's going on? we're doing a tech startup. we're streamlining an algorithm. what's grandpa doing? hi... sssh, grandpa you don't want to be an intern forever. sorry dad, we have to get back to work, we have a deadline. we're going public! [cheering] the fastest in-home wifi for your entire family. the x-1 enterta

that wasn't quite what they told my colleague scott heidler, who is on the ground in the area. they told him something different, saying they didn't have them yet. it seems sure that the black boxes have been found and the pro-russian separatists are trying to work out what to do with them. what happens next is a massive importance. moscow says it wants to play this by the book. if it receives these black boxes it will pass it to the international aviation authority who can undertake an impartial investigation. obviously there's a massive exercise going on cross the region. the ukrainians are saying it was nothing to do with us. pro-russian separate asts say it was nothing to do with us, the russian governments are saying it was nothing to do with us. everyone is pointing the finger of blame at someone else. >> this is the problem. there's talk about what kind of weapons russia may have supplied. australian prime minister tony abbott laying the blame squarely on russia. how worried are the ordinary russians that they'll cabinet the blame for this? >> they are very worried, inde

the site is a little like leaving criminals in control of a crime scene >>> our correspondent scott heidler is in the eastern ukranian town of khaki, where the ukranian government wants the victims to be brought. before talking about the victims and where the bod yes are, reports of fighting in donetsk. what are you hearing about this? >> that's correct. we are getting confirmation from both sides from the separatist fighters, organizers and the ukranian army that they are on the move into donetsk. they are not in the middle of the city just yet, but are coming in. the government tells us from all sides. this is something we have been anticipating over the last several weeks. it was obvious the ukranian army was closing in. we have reports they are moving in. we are north 350km north. when we drove up here yesterday we saw tanks, armoured vehicles on the move south as we headed north, on the way to donetsk. we are hearing reports of people running around the center part of the city. there has been reports of explosions, clearly there is an operation under way. the ukranian government is con

scott heidler reports now from donetsk. >> reporter: we are just outside of marinka where six civilians were killed early saturday morning. since we have been here in the last night minutes, we have seen and heard some incoming mortar rounds. you can see the plumes of smoke over my shoulder. now, it's a very tension situation in the village. we were in there just before we retreated here because the separatist fighter checkpoints. they told us to leave because they are expecting incoming rounds. >> happened just a little bit after they told us to get out of town. now, they are very tension because of these six civilians that were killed on saturday. there has also been other fighting going on between donetsk and the russian border. we know that there are other civilian casualties, possibly as many as seven. it's a tension situation here around donetsk because this is where there is an impending and expected battle of some sort between the ukrainian army who has been advancing as well as all of the spraift fighters who have been bunkered in, if you will inside donetsk city. right now, ve

al jazerra's scott heidler is at the scratch eight with more. >> reporter: when we came from a two hourve to hear, we saw lighter presence at the checkpoints, i'm not sure that's why they say it will be easier to they say for the investigators to come in. but one thing needs to be needed too. you have a 20-kilometer safety zone around the site. but you don't have a corridor. a lot of international groups coming here investigators, doctors, forensic doctors they have to come to this location, if it's safe around here that's one thing, but is it safe to get here, that's the bigger issue. i bring that up because we have been here for a couple of hours and off in the distance, quite far in the distance we have been hearing fighting going on. this is still a battle zone, there might be a safety zone around this location, but there is still a battle going on, and what we have been hearing is the distinct sounds of multiple launch systems, brad systems outgoing, where the exact battle is, we don't know, but it's still an active battle area. what's changed here so far today? more markers for mo

let's go to scott heidler in donetske. hi there scott. what more do we know about the ukrainian transport plane that was shot down? >> julie we just returned from luhansk and we were out in the area when this news was coming through about this transport plane being brought down. interesting things: we know the ukrainian army holds the airport just outside luhansk, where the airplane went down, and supply drops, what the central kyiv government says this plane was doing, eight people on board, had supplies, brought down very close to the russian border and something coming out of the government here. they are saying the ukrainian government is saying that the sophistication of the device, of the missile that brought down this aircraft is something that the separatist fighters do not have. so they say the president is saying that it probably came from russia. obviously that's going to add much more tension to a very tense situation already between these two neighbors. so very, very interesting development coming out of that. we also are hea

scott heidler is there. >> reporter: in part of this city of 1 million people, it seems a calm sunday shopping day. if you go on the outside of the city it is very, very tense. that's because hundreds of pro-russian separatist fighters arrived on saturday and the checkpoints of the main arteries coming to the cities have been fortify and they were tense. those manning the checkpoints are tense. on sunday, coming out from the central government in kiev, after the day they called a victory, but not the end of the war. they say they will not have an accuracy fire planning until the rebel fighters, pro-russians lay unconditionally. we are at a stand off. hundreds of fighters in the city, don't know what will happen in the central government. they will not call for a ceasefire, because they need the weapons laid down unconditionally. rs to attack military bases six soldiers died in fighting last week. the security forces are struggling to contain attacks by boko haram. they are responsible for the april kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls. many in nigeria accused the government of doin

. >>> al jazeera's scott heidler joins us live. now that the ukrainian forces have won slovyansk what exactly are they doing there? >> reporter: we just returned from slovyansk just in the last hour or two. what they're doing up there now is, actually there were officials from the interior ministry, convincing people they will get back to normal but it will take some time. we came through a couple of checkpoints that clearly saw very hard fought battles but one thing that was very interesting, on that road that comes south from where we are now and there are hundreds of are separatist fighters in this city now . there was olarge column of ukrainian army vehicles, vehicles soldiers as well as weapons. so obviously something is around the corner. they have moved on from slovyansk because now they gained control of the sphral ofl government. but the battle is what they are focused on now felicity. >> separatists fled from slovyansk, where you are now. what are they preparing to do now do you think? >> in donetske they are pretty well

scott heidler was one of the first journalists to arrive at the crash site. here is his latest report. >> as the sun rose it revealed the scope of how difficult the recovery and investigation will be for flight mh17. the debris is a vast area around the wheat fields, a circumference of 10km. there was an explosion in the sky above the house. i came out to see what happened. the plane fell in many pieceses as it fell, it broke apart, all the pieces fell in the sky. >> reporter: emergency workers began the task marking the bodies and parts. the markers dot the scorched landscape. as the rescue workers fanned out across the fields identifying the human remains, we were close though this debris field when some came up. we overheard one say to the other, he said "there's too many bod yois on there, i don't have enough stakes or flags." before working their shifts, mibors from a coal -- miners from a coal plant came to help. >> we came, it's a tragedy. we want to find out what happened and stop people thinking they are terrorists. a few hours after the crash leader

scott heidler has the day's developments. >> reporter: hundreds of separatist fighters on the move, pushed out by a major ukrainian offensive. many leaving the northern front in slovyansk, a position they held for three months, near the russian border. it's a victory for the central government in kiev whonded a ceasefire -- who ended a ceasefire five days ago. >> armed forces are under operation in slovyansk. an order was given to raise ukraine's flag on the city administration building. >> reporter: this is the direction the fighters were heading, here to don everybody. several -- donetsk. several hundred arrived. local officials told people to stay off the streets. >> outgunned and outside numbered separatists say they had no choice but to retreat. >> the rebels don't have enough power to control. that's why they made the decision to retreat. taking a step back doesn't mean you have lost. >> after this step back, the separatists have two choices in front of them - dig in for a last stand, or go back to negotiations and work towards bringing an end to three months of fighting that killed

scott heidler is th one of the first on th on the scene. >> reporter: you can see that they're bargainwith sticks. they're marking bodies. this is a farm road that divides the debris field. they've been in there, and you can see the stakes where there are remains. what is interesting when one of these gentleman, right when i walked past this debris field, they said there are too many bodies. we don't have enough stakes. they're moving on to a different area. this is the tail section of this aircraft here. the tail fin is over here. this part is here. then back up the road you have bigger debris field. you have one on this side and one further down. it seems to be the biggest debris field. you can see the landing gear. both engines are there. there is even a little bit of a groove in the earth. these gentlemen are willing to be marking with the bodies are. this is now an international incident is that the investigation as to why these men are looking for bodies. >> michael: we are learning more about the people who died in the crash. jonathan betz is here with more details. >> reporter:

. >> scott heidler has the latest from the crash routine. >> reporter: as the sun rose it revealed the scope of how difficult the recovery and investigation will be for flight mh17. the debris rests in a vast area around the wheat fields, a circumference of 10km. >> translation: there was an explosion in the sky above the house. i came out to see what happened. the plane fell in many pieces, as it fell, it broke apart. all the pieces fell in the sky. >> emergency workers began the difficult task of marking the spot of the bodies and parts. as the rescue workers fanned across the fields identifying human remains, we were close to the debris field when some came out and we heard one say to another "there's too many bodies in there, i don't have enough stakes and white flags." before working their shifts, miners from a coal plant came to help. >> translation: we came because it's a tragedy. we want to help find out what happened and to stop people thinking there are just terrorists here. >> a few hours after the crash the leader of the pro-russian separatist visited the site. >> the war h

scott heidler reports from eastern ukraine. >> reporter: as the advance of the ukranian forces continuesrussia claims casualties on their side of the border. a shell landed over the border, killing one, injuring two. russia called it an aggressive abbing and it will be attempt with accordingly. back in eastern ukraine we visited an area outside donetsk. it was the heart of separatist movement, attacked on tuesday. >> we are outside a western suburb of donetsk, where six civilians were killed on saturday morning. since being here in the last 90 minutes we've seen and heard mortar rounds, and you see the smoke over my shoulder. some of the fighters set fire to wheat fields. separatist fighters man ing a checkpoint are expecting more, and they ask not to be named. >> translation: the situation is difficult in donetsk. children are scared. they will bear scars forever. what shall we do? we are waiting for them. it's our land. it wasn't us that came to them. they came here. >> reporter: the second day of attacks sent more civilians out of the area. >> translation: it was terrible. words can't

. >> scott heidler has been on the ground at the site and has the latest. >> reporter: wild flowers on one of the plane's burnt and crumb mped -- crumpled wings, the first memorial on site for those on malaysia airlines mh17. it was placed there by this woman. her son's house was metres away. >> translation: it's sad for all the people, the pilot, the children. it's awful to see something like this happening in our country. >> reporter: after laying uncovered emergency workers put the bodies in bags and lay them on the roadside. armed separatist fighters came down the hill to the area we have been broadcasting and for the first time in 48 hours since the crash happened, we've been told to get out of the areas because investigators are coming in. soon after we were moved back the european monitoring commission arrived. after an initial standoff they were let into the area of the crash. >> translation: i'm saying no to the osce. >> reporter: eventually they were allowed into more areas than an friday which ended with warning shots fired. >> the area is beyond what we see, we'll consult w

scott heidler reports from the screen in grabova. >> reporter: wild flowers mark the spot. some were placed by this woman - her son's house metres away from the debris of the 777. >> translation: it's sad for all the people. the pilot, the children. it's awful to see something like this happening in our country. >> after laying uncovered in the fields since the plane fell, emergency workers put the bodies in bags and lay them on the roadside. >> the fighters came down the hill to our location, and for the first time in 48 hours since the crash happened we have been told to get out the area because investigators are coming in. >> soon after we were moved back, the european monitoring mission arrived. after confusion and standoff the monitors were let into the area. more negotiation was needed. >> i'm saying no the o.s.c.e. >> incidents are large, it is beyond what we have seen. we'll consult with those in charge to see if we can access other sites. >> as the dutch foreign minister arrived the ukranian government continued a push for international access. >> translation: the

scott heidler reports tensions are rising in the city. >> in the center part of the city, donetsk, of 1 million people, it's a normal calm sunday shopping day. if you go on the outside of the city, it's tense. that's because these hundreds of pro-russian separatist fighters arrived on saturday at the checkpoints of the main arteries. they've been fortified and are tense. those manning the checkpoints are tense. also on sunday, coming out from the central government in kiev, after this day, they called a victory, but not the end of the war. they say they will not have a ceasefire planning until the rebel fighters, the pro-russian separatist fighters lay down the weapons unconditionally. we are at a standoff. we have hundreds of fighters deciding what to do, don't know what will happen, the central government saying they will not call for a ceasefire because they need the weapons laid down unconditionally by the pro-russian fighters. >> german chancellor angela merkel kicked off with a visit today. she was accompanied by executives from german companies. trade increased between the two

scott heidler sent this report. >> reporter: four coffins held by the ukrainian honor guard.t four of the 298 people killed on mh17. before being loaded on to the plane, a ceremony for those killed when the plane was shot down last week. across town at a factory complex, there are still dozens of bodies and fragments that need to be claimed. >> we were near for the many nations touched by the tragedy of flight mh17, and to pay our respects to them as they begin their journey home. >> reporter: this is carrying the first 16 victims out of ukraine. there will be more flown later in the day, but these are the first victims that will leave ukraine going to the nert netherlands. two hours later another 24 bodies were loaded on to a military plane. finally getting the dignity and respect that their families and most of the world have been calling for. >>> we have just heard news here in al jazeera that there has been a plane crash on the island. the first report suggesting that 51 people have been killed. that's a reportment coming in from the taiwanese news agency, saying there ha

scott heidler reports from eastern ukraine. >> as the advance of the ukranian forces conditions, russia claims there are civilian casualties op their side of the border. a shell landed in the building, killing one man, injuring two. the russian foreign ministry called it an aggressive act and it will be dealt with accordingly. the attack was denied. we visited an or outside donetsk. the heart of the separatist movement. it was attacked on saturday. >> this is a we were suburb of donetsk, where six civilians were killed saturday. since being here in the last 90 minutes, we have seen and heard incoming more tar round. you can see the plumes over my shoulder. >> fire was set to nearby wheat fields. some of the fighters in the area are expecting more. they ask not to be named. >> translation: the situation is difficult in donetsk. children are scared they will bear scars forever. what shall we do? we are waiting for them, it's our land. it wasn't us who came to them, they came here. the second day of attacks september more. it was terrible. words can't deny respect. i saw garages and factor

. >>> i'm scott heidler at t