Criminal case opened regarding crash of Proton at Baikonur - prosecutor's office
ALMATY. July 4 (Interfax) - The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the crash of the Proton-M rocket at the Baikonur complex, the Baikonur prosecutor's office said in a statement posted on its website.
"The investigative department of the Russian Investigative Committee at the Baikonur complex has opened a criminal case on this incident over evidence of a crime, put forward in the Russian Criminal Code Article 216 Part 1. The Baikonur prosecutor's office is overseeing the investigation," the statement said.
The Baikonur prosecutor's office is checking whether the law regulating preparations for launches and launches of rocket and space equipment was followed, at the order of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, the statement said.
The Proton-M rocket with three GLONASS satellites was launched at the Baikonur cosmodrome on July 2. The rocket exploded and crashed near the launch site within minutes.