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Plane shot by surface-to-air missile – officials

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Plane shot by surface-to-air missile – officials

AFP

The UN calls for an investigation into the Malaysian aircraft crash as the Ukraine government and rebels trade blame for the crash

UNITED NATIONS – United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon called for a full investigation into the Malaysia plane that crashed in Ukraine Thursday night, July 17, as US and Ukraine officials said it was shot by a surface-to-air missile.

The UN Security Council was also expected to hold an emergency meeting on the incident. (READ: Malaysia plane ‘shot down,’ 298 on board)

US and Ukrainian officials believe the Boeing 777, which Malaysia Airlines said was carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew, was shot down by a surface-to-air-missile.

Ukraine’s government and pro-Russian insurgents traded blame for the disaster, with comments attributed to a rebel chief suggesting his men may have downed the flight by mistake, believing it was a Ukrainian army transport plane.

Russia, which backs the rebels, said Ukraine bore responsibility for crash.
The stricken flight had been expected in the Malaysian capital at 6:10 am on Friday (2210 GMT Thursday).

Flying over war zone

As questions were raised over why the passenger jet was flying over an active war zone, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in Kuala Lumpur international air authorities had deemed the flight path safe.

“The aircraft’s flight route was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organization. And (the) International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions,” he said.

Najib added that a team of disaster response specialists had been dispatched to Kiev and that authorities in Ukraine had agreed to try and establish “a humanitarian corridor to the crash site.”

The stricken flight had been expected in the Malaysian capital at 6:10 am on Friday (2210 GMT Thursday).

Some relatives at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport expressed anger that they still had not been briefed by Malaysia Airlines officials.

“We have been waiting here for four hours… Where is MAS (Malaysia Airlines)?” an ethnic Chinese with relatives on board the flight said, declining to give his name.

Another ethnic Indian man who said his sister, brother-in-law and their two-year-old baby were believed to be on the flight said: “We just want to have the name list from MAS.” – with reports from Agence France-Presse

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