Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 295 people shot down by a missile on Ukraine-Russia border
A Malaysia Airlines plane, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, carrying 295 people has crashed near Ukraine-Russia border.
The Ukrainian interior ministry has advised that none of the 295 passengers could survive the crash.
The commercial Boeing 777 is believed to be the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which left Amsterdam at 12.14pm local time and was due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 6.09pm.
According to the reports, there is a possibility that the plane could have been shot down by an air missile fired from a BUK launcher.
Chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph Colin Freeman reported: “The BUK is a self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile system from the Soviet era and was designed to engage cruise missiles, smart bombs, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Modern versions can reach up to 80,000 feet.”
News agency Interfax-Ukraine has reported: “The plane disappeared from the radar when it was flying at 10,000 metres.”
The area where it crashed is supposedly a land where Ukrainian troops have once been involved with pro-Russian rebels in fighting.
Witnesses informed Russia’s largest news agency RIA Novosti that they saw dead bodies and the wreckage from the plane in the vicinity of the Hrabovo village, outside Torez, where the attack took place.
Ukraine’s prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk has ordered investigations into the Malaysian airplane catastrophe.
However, Russia Today has disclosed that the Ukrainian rebels – backed by Russia – have denied any involvement in today’s crash.
Russia Today said: “The Donetsk People’s Republic, where fighting continues between Kiev and opposition, has rejected any involvement in the incident, as there are reports that the plane was shot down. It said its self-defense forces just don’t have such military equipment.”
Richa Priyanka
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