Malaysia Airlines Plane Reportedly Shot Down in Ukraine; Bodies, Burning Wreckage Seen on Ground
Update: The Ukrainian government has released a statement calling the incident a terrorist act and lays the blame at Russia's feet, according to The Telegraph, which is live updating. Ukraine claims not to have any missile defenses of that calibre in the area.
Reuters reports via Twitter that 23 U.S. citizens were aboard.
#BREAKING: Number of dead from crash of #MH17 more than 300, includes 23 U.S. citizen: Interior Ministry adviser, quoted by Interfax
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 17, 2014
And, as of now, four French nationals.
#BREAKING: At least four French nationals on board Malaysia Airlines flight that crashed: French foreign minister — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 17, 2014
An amateur video of the crash has surfaced on YouTube.
A Malaysia Airlines airliner has crashed in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border. Authorities are currently investigating the crash but it is suspected to have been shot down.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 lost contact over Ukraine near the border with Russia. The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. The airline confirmed on Twitter that it had lost contact with the plane.
Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace. More details to follow. — Malaysia Airlines (@MAS) July 17, 2014
The Boeing 777 was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members, according to the Malay Mail Online. Reuters is reporting a ground-to-air missile shot down the plane near the rebel-held city of Donetsk. A Ukrainian Interior Minister advisor, Anton Gerashchenko, said on Facebook that the plane was shot down by a Soviet-made missile, according to the AP.
“A civilian airliner travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has just been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft system ... 280 passengers and 15 crew have been killed,” he said, according to Reuters.
The plane was shot down while flying at around 33,000 feet, a normal cruising altitude for an airliner, according to Reuters, and came down at the town of Torez, some 25 miles from the Russian border. Reuters reporters in the area are reporting seeing the burning wreckage and multiple bodies on the grown via Twitter.
#BREAKING: Reuters correspondent on the scene in Eastern Ukraine sees burning wreckage of air plane, bodies on ground — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 17, 2014
The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called for an immediate investigation into the incident, according to Mashable. He has called for the cration of a commission comprised of the ICAO (Ukrainian Aviation Security Training Centre) and other international organizations.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Tun Razak, expressed his feelings on Twitter and has announced the launching of an investigation.
I am shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation. — Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) July 17, 2014
A video obtained by The Telegraph depics a large plume of smoke rising from the ground near where the plane crashed.
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