Malaysian plane shot down in Ukraine; 295 dead • Israeli among the dead

July 17, 2014   

Another aviation disaster and another Malaysian plane: A Malaysia Airlines passenger plane crashed in eastern Ukraine with 295 people on board, including 15 crew members. There were no survivors from the disaster. Among the dead was an Israeli - the late Itamar Avnon.

The plane crashed in the city of Torez in the Donetsk region, about 40 km from the Russian border. Emergency teams that arrived in the area have already begun treating the plane and its bodies, which were scattered within a radius of about 15 km.

The plane, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, took off from Amsterdam as flight MH17 to Kuala Lumpur. Defense Ministry officials in Kiev said the plane was shot down by a Buk (SA-11) missile while cruising at 33,000 feet. Due to the tensions, several European airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic, announced that they would temporarily avoid flying over eastern Ukraine.

""If the plane disappears, this is what it will look like" • Photo posted by a passenger before boarding the flight

What is the origin of the missile? It depends on who you ask. In Kiev, they are convinced that it was a Russian missile, while some believe that the missile was launched by separatists operating in Ukrainian territory. The area where the plane crashed is controlled by pro-Russian separatists. One of the rebel leaders accused the Ukrainian government of shooting down the plane, and strongly rejected accusations that his people were responsible for the crash. According to him, the rebels are not equipped with a missile capable of reaching such an altitude. CNN reports that the missile was fired from Russian territory, but it is unclear what this means for the question of the shooter. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said he was "shocked by the reports" and said his government had launched an investigation into the accident. Upon learning of the crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call with US President Barack Obama. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the US is trying to ascertain details about the "tragic crash.". The President of the United States delivered a brief message to the media: "The world is probably watching the reports of the crash of the passenger plane near the Ukrainian border. It looks like a terrible tragedy. At this moment, we are working to determine whether there were American citizens on board the plane. This is the first priority, and I have directed the National Security team to maintain close contact with the Ukrainian government. The United States will provide any assistance it can to determine what happened and why. As a country, our thoughts and prayers are with all the families and passengers.".

The Malaysian airline confirmed the crash and said it lost contact with the plane over Ukrainian territory. The crash site is considered a particularly sensitive area as it is the scene of a battle between pro-Russian separatists and the central government in Kiev. The plane crash joins another serious incident this week, when a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jet crashed yesterday evening. The Defense Ministry in Kiev blames the Russian government for shooting down the plane.

Just four months ago, an identical Boeing 737-800 plane belonging to a Malaysian airline disappeared without a trace. After a lengthy search, the Malaysian government announced that it had likely disappeared into the ocean depths, although the black box has not been found to this day.

The Boeing 777 is considered one of the most popular aircraft models among airlines worldwide. Its safety record is particularly strong: in its entire history, it has only had one incident.

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