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Debris from MH17 plane crash
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Debris from MH17 still on fire
Four months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, another Malaysian airliner MH17 carrying 295 people has crashed in east Ukraine on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, amid allegations it was shot down. Both aircrafts were Boeing 777s.
Ukraine's President - Petro Poroshenko called the loss of the plane an "act of terrorism" as the rebels denied shooting it down. "We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and confirm that the Ukraine armed forces did not fire at any targets in the sky," Poroshenko said.
Flight MH17 had been due to enter Russian airspace when contact was lost. In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said Ukraine's air traffic control lost contact with flight MH17 at 1415 (GMT) , approximately 50km from the Russia-Ukraine border. "Flight MH17 operated on a Boeing 777 departed Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Amsterdam time) and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6.10am (Malaysia time) the next day. The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew onboard." The flight also had a Dutch airline flight number from KLM, KL4103.
Bodies are scattered around what is believed to be the wreckage of the jet near the village of Grabovo, which is under the control of separatist rebels. At least 100 bodies have been found so far at the scene.
The separatists are believed to have shot down two Ukrainian military planes over the region in recent days.
There is no official closure of Ukraine airspace but Germany's Lufthansa, Air France and Turkish Airlines are all now avoiding eastern Ukraine.