Malaysia Airlines Plane Crashes in Ukraine
By Paul Thomson :: 11:39 AM
Reports are coming in via news wires and social media that a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane has crashed in the Ukraine. Unconfirmed reports say it is flight MH 17.
Among some of the reports are allegations that the plane was shot down by a missile over Russian territory. The flight had departed Amsterdam, and was halfway through its journey, due to land in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning.
An adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, Anton Gerashenko, reported the plane was flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet when it was hit by a missile fired from a BUK launcher. The BUK missile system can fire missiles up to an altitude of 72,000 feet.
The eastern part of the Ukraine, where the plane was shot down, had seen intense fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels earlier this week.
Pictures from the scene show a debris trail and smoke rising from the ground, and details are still being gathered.
Malasia Airlines is aware of the crash, but has not released a statement. A government official has said there were 280 passengers and 15 crewmembers, and that all died in the crash.
This story will be updated as news comes in.
Photo below from the crash scene:
Video from the crash scene:
Tweet confirming that the airline lost communications with the plane:
Flight radar data from just before MH17 disappeared from tracking:
