Russian missile killed pilots and cut jet in half but passengers could have been conscious for up to a minute as plane plunged, reveals official report into MH17 downed over Ukraine

Dutch investigators released the findings of their long-awaited investigation in front of a ghostly reconstruction of the forward section of the Boeing 777 (left). Some of the nose, cockpit and business class of the jet were rebuilt from fragments of the aircraft recovered from the crash scene and flown to Gilze-Rijen air base in the Netherlands. Investigators also released a video (top right) demonstrating how the Russian-made BUK missile detonated just inches from the cockpit, killing the pilots and breaking off the front of the plane. The report said: 'It cannot be ruled out that some occupants remained conscious for some time during the one to one-and-a-half minutes for which the crash lasted.' This appeared to contradict earlier information given to relatives who were told at a briefing in The Hague that their loved ones would have died very soon after the missile exploded.