Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in Ukraine LIVE UPDATES—-The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash is seen at the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.(Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev )
A Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in eastern Ukraine. There were 285 people and 15 crew members on board the Boeing-777 aircraft.
Thursday, July 17
The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash is seen at the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.(Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev )A Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in eastern Ukraine. There were 285 people and 15 crew members on board the Boeing-777 aircraft.
Thursday, July 17
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Thursday his country is sending emergency personnel to Ukraine to take part in the investigation into the MH17 crash. “Ukrainian authorities believe that the plane was shot down. At this stage, however, Malaysia is unable to verify the cause of this tragedy,” he said at a press conference.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed to the Malaysian PM that “his government will negotiate with rebels in the east of the country to establish a humanitarian corridor to the crash site.”
“This is a tragic day in what has already been a tragic year in Malaysia. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those on board the flight,” Razak said at the end. “The flight passengers and crew came from many different countries… but we are all united in grief.”
Russian President Putin believes Ukraine responsible for Malaysian airliner tragedy.
“Obviously, the state over whose territory it happened bears responsibility for this terrible tragedy,” Putin said as cited by Itar-Tass.
“This tragedy would not have happened if there was peace on this land, if military action in the southeast of Ukraine had not been resumed,” he believes.
The Russian Health Ministry says it’s ready to provide any assistance to its Ukrainian colleagues in forensic tests of the plane crash victims, the Ministry press-secretary said. He added that so far no such requests have been received.
The Russian Defense Ministry says the Malaysian Airliner was flying outside the air defense capabilities of Russia.
The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting over the shooting down of Malaysian airliner in Ukraine, and the deteriorating situation in the country. The meeting was called in by the UK, Itar-tass reports.
DNR authorities announced that they are planning to conclude a humanitarian truce with Kiev to investigate the crash of a Malaysian airliner Boeing 777, the Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed republic Alexander Boroday said, Ria Novosti reports.
“We are in a videoconference … with the authorities in Kiev. We will allow international organizations to get here,” said Boroday. According to him, if the truce is signed, it will last for two or three days. He added that the incident looks like a provocation.
Ukraine’s state security chief accused two Russian military intelligence officers of involvement in the downing of a Malaysian passenger plane on Thursday. The SBU chief Valentin Nalivaychenko added they must be punished for their “crime.”
The Ukrainian official said he based his allegation on intercepts of phone conversations between the two officers.
US intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal a surface-to-air missile hit MH17. However, the unnamed intelligence source says that it’s not clear where the missile came from or who fired it.
Airlines in the US have agreed to avoid flying in the airspace near the border of Russia and Ukraine, the Office for Civil Aviation (FAA) reported. This agreement was reached on a voluntary basis, the agency said. FAA added it will monitor the situation to determine whether additional recommendations for airlines in connection with the crash in Ukraine are needed.
The Lugansk People’s Republic press service has announced that OSCE representatives in the area have set off for the crash site, to monitor the investigation.
Source Rasian today.
