Russia says Malaysian airliner's flights recorders unaffected by slight damage

Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee said on Friday the black box flight recorders from the Malaysian airliner downed over Ukraine had suffered slight damage but this would not affect the data.

"During the inspection it was established that the recorders have slight mechanical damage which did not affect the intactness of the recorders," the Committee, a supervisory body that oversees the use and  management of civil aviation, said in a statement.

The statement said there was no evidence the flight recorders had been tampered with, echoing comments by the Dutch Safety Board which is coordinating the investigation into the downing of the plane. Russia is among countries participating in the analysis of the recorders.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly, Editing by Timothy Heritage)