By Sarah C Nelson
A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet has reportedly been shot down near the Russia – Ukraine border. Initial reports from Interfax news agency say the Boeing 777 was flying at an altitude of 32,000ft.
Sources say 280 passengers and 15 crew members were onboard the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Interfax said the plane came down 20miles (50kms) short of entering Russian airspace. It ‘began to drop, afterwards it was found burning on the ground on Ukrainian territory,’ an unnamed source said.
Amateur footage from the scene showed a pall of smoke billowing into the sky apparently from the stricken aircraft.
Reuters quoted emergency service personnel at the scene who said body parts from the plane’s passengers are scattered around up to 15km from the crash site, and at least 100 bodies are on the ground.
As the drama unfolded, several other passenger jets were flying through Ukrainian airspace on one of the main routes from Europe to Asia for air traffic.
The jet’s path would have seen it flying at high altitude on an intercontinental flight that took it over the crisis hit region of Ukraine, where the authorities have accused Russia-backed separatists of previous attacks on aircraft.
Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor at Ukraine’s interior ministry, told Bloomberg it was Ukrainian rebels who shot down 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
I am shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation.
— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) July 17, 2014
First pictures from crash scene of Malaysia Airlines #MH17 in Ukraine Live blog http://t.co/t9D5LbQX63 pic.twitter.com/QQE8xVodkS
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) July 17, 2014
This report was compiled by The Huffington Post, finish reading it here
