Malaysian plane carrying 295 people shot down over Ukraine: official
Posted July 17, 2014 5:34 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Malaysian airplane has crashed in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, killing all 295 people aboard. According to an official from Ukraine, the jet was shot down.
It was reportedly shot down by pro-Russian rebels. Intercepted phone calls reportedly confirm this.
At least one Canadian was on board, the CEO of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam confirmed in a news conference. The name or hometown of the Canadian victim isn’t known.
An emergency services rescue worker said at least 100 bodies had so far been found at the scene, near the village of Grabovo, and that debris from the wreckage was spread across an area up to about 15 kilometres in diameter.
A Canadian aviation expert says the plane had no chance if it were fired upon by a missile.
The Boeing 777 came down near the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
Flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Air Canada has not used the airspace where the jet was shot down for some time — over safety fears.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tweeted announcing an investigation.
It’s the worst aviation disaster since 9-11.
The crash comes about four months after Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared on March 8.
