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Flight MH17 Debris Site Left Unsecured for Hours by OSCE, Rebels

NBC News team reports no sign of international monitors or rebels at one of the largest collections of debris on Friday morning.
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Some of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17's wreckage appeared to be left unguarded for hours on Friday, with no sign of international monitors or pro-Russian rebels at one of the main debris sites. While the crash site has never been guarded 24 hours a day, the NBC News team on the ground said one of the main impact sites was deserted for most of the morning . Hours later, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, one of the first organizations to get to the region last week, did arrive, tweeting a picture of its staff at 1 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET).

There was also no sign of armed rebels who have controlled the chaotic scene since the plane was downed last week. OSCE spokesman Michael Bociurkiw emailed NBC News and denied that OSCE monitors were not at the scene in the morning but declined to clarify further. The crash site covers a wide area covering dozens of acres around the town of Grabovo, Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Australia on Friday pledged to send security personnel to the site.

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- Carlo Angerer and Alexander Smith