PICTURE: Moment Rebel Fighter Took Ring Belonging To A Passenger On Malaysian Airways Flight MH17

A picture has emerged that shows a soldier taking a wedding ring from a passenger on the MH17 plane.

The man, believed to be a pro-Russian separatist, appears to be holding a gold band at the site of the crash in Ukraine, although the image has not been independently verified.

He is among a group of people, including three men in military uniforms, who were filmed going through debris of the Malaysia Airlines jet which came down on Thursday killing 298 people.

The soldier puts the ring in a box and turns around. It is not known what happened to it next, but other people can be seen throwing items from the plane into the back of a lorry.

Some people have suggested that he was looking for evidence that would identify who it belonged to.

Yesterday a miner sent in to help rescue bodies gave BBC reporter Natalia Antelava a passport, ID card and a wallet containing credit cards.

Clearly haunted by what she is given, she says “Oh god, this is actually pretty awful.”

In places she appears to choke back tears as she says that they are crucial pieces of evidence that should be left for the investigation, but there is only chaos and no investigators.