Malaysian plane crashes in Ukraine: updates

The Ukrainian Security Service SBU has published on its Youtube account what it says are intercepted        conversations between pro-Russian militants in which they say they admit shooting down a civilian plane, BBC Monitoring reports.

     

    

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev tweets: Hundreds of people lost their lives in the plane crash. Such a tragedy. I mourn for the victims.

Key Points

• A Malaysian airliner has crashed in Ukraine, near Russian border
• Malaysia Airlines says contact with Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was lost at 1415 GMT
• There were 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board
• There are reports of bodies and burning wreckage on the ground
• The Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels have accused each other of shooting down the plane; both sides say they were not responsible
• Several airlines, including Lufthansa and Air France, say they will now avoid eastern Ukrainian airspace

Continue....

Malaysia's Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, who dealt with the disappearance of MH370 in March in his capacity as acting transport minister, has appealed for calm on Twitter, saying he is working with the foreign, transport and prime minister on the issue.

The upper floor of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport has now been closed to media and reserved for family and relatives of passengers on flight MH17.

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