Polish services are "working in extreme conditions on a rapeseed field in the Lublin Voivodeship, where a 'military flying object' crashed." Ukraine wants to help in the investigation, reported during a press conference the District Prosecutor in Lublin, Grzegorz Trusewicz, revealing new details: the crater is over 5 meters deep, and the debris of the aircraft is scattered within a radius of 200 meters, writes UNN citing Onet Wiadomości.
Details
The services were notified after a powerful explosion that forced local residents to their feet. The police were the first to arrive at the scene and secured the area. A crater approximately 10 meters in diameter and at least 5 meters deep formed at the crash site.
Currently, about 100 officers are working at the scene, including police and military personnel, and the operation is directly supervised by four military prosecutors. Fifty soldiers of the Territorial Defense Forces have also been called in to assist, combing the unmown rapeseed field in search of any evidence.
The prosecutor acknowledged that the found fragments have "certain emblems and inscriptions," but a detailed analysis will have to be postponed until all fragments are removed from the crater. "There are quite a lot of them, but it is difficult to determine the exact number due to the dense vegetation," explains the district prosecutor in Lublin.
Currently, the area is being mapped using drones, which will allow all traces to be accurately recorded from the air. Polish authorities are also using specialized equipment to detect electronics and explosives. Although the prosecutor's office already knows the likely direction from which the object flew, it is refraining from official confirmation for now.
As noted, the Ukrainian side has submitted an official request for permission for its experts to inspect the site. The Ukrainians claim that as experts, they currently have the most experience in detecting this type of military object.
The Ministry of Justice of Poland is considering this request from a procedural point of view.
"We have received an official request from the Ukrainian side for assistance in conducting this inspection, as these experts have the most experience with such types of incidents. Currently, the request is being considered, and it is possible that they will come to the scene and help – together with Polish services – identify the object that entered Polish airspace," explained Prosecutor Trusewicz, as quoted by WP Wiadomości.
"This concerns, first of all, experts who will help us determine what we are dealing with, before specialized laboratories in Poland begin the investigation," Trusewicz indicated.
He explained that the investigation is being conducted under Article 173 of the Criminal Code in connection with aviation law. The investigation concerns causing an aviation disaster, a crime punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The services are rushing to complete the work due to the heat. "We would like to complete these measures as quickly as possible to avoid detaining officers in such weather conditions," the prosecutor emphasized, adding that despite the seriousness of the situation, the area is now completely safe for residents.