Obama blames Russia-backed rebels for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

All 298 people on board a Malaysia Airlines plane were killed after the jet was shot down by "terrorists" over war-torn eastern Ukraine near the Russian border.

Zee Media Bureau/Kamna Arora & Himanshu Kapoor

Demanding that Russia must stop supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine, Obama said the pro-Russian fighters couldn`t have shot down Flight MH17 without sophisticated equipment coming from Russia.

Barack Obama today said that the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was done in an "outrage of unspeakable proportion", while confirming that one American had died in the incident.

Interpol has said it will send a team in the next 48 hours to help identify victims killed by the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in east Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised that he will ensure the investigation team can get to the crash site of MH17 plane, as well as the members` safety, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

Russia is not going to take away the black boxes from the crash site of the Malaysian plane in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

The latest Malaysia Airlines disaster has rekindled the grief of MH370 relatives who say the new crash bears out their furious criticisms of the nation`s flag carrier and government.

Russia`s ambassador to the UN has questioned why Ukrainian aviation authorities allowed a passenger flight through an area of armed clashes where anti-aircraft systems were working.

France`s President Francois Hollande announced Friday that there was no French national among casualties of the Malaysia Airlines plane crash in eastern Ukraine.

A top pro-Russia rebel commander in eastern Ukraine has given a bizarre version of events surrounding the Malaysian jetliner crash suggesting many of the victims may have died days before the plane took off.

The European Union (EU) has activated the EU aviation crisis cell to ensure proper coordination of airspace to guarantee the safety of flights.

The UN Security Council Friday called for "a full, thorough and independent international investigation" of the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner.

Four victims who died in the shooting-down of the flight MH17 remains unidentified.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Friday said that the Pro-Russian separatists have admitted to downing the Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine in which 298 people were killed.

Malaysia Airlines said that the next of kin of each passenger killed in MH17 crash will be to be given US$5,000 compensation to cover initial expenses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for peace telling the warring sides in Ukraine to lay down their arms and engage in talks, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia does not plan to take the black boxes from the Malaysian Airlines plane that crashed in Donetsk Region.

There are reports that the rescue workers have recovered a second flight recorder from the crashed Malaysian airliner. Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine had on Thursday said they had found one of the "black box" recorders when the Malaysian airliner came down.

As reported by CNN, the US intelligence has concluded that the downed MH17 flight was hit by a missile that most likely was fired by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

By midday, 181 bodies had been located, according to emergency workers at the sprawling crash site who were in contact with officials in Kiev.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that a Ukrainian radar station of surface-to-air missiles was operating on the day a Malaysian airline crashed in the country`s rebel-held east killing all 298 on board.

The World Health Organisation says its spokesman Glenn Thomas was on board the Malaysian jetliner that was shot down over Ukraine.

In a heart-wrenching story, Australian media reported that an Australian family has been struck by both Malaysia Airlines tragedies, losing two members of their extended family in the MH17 crash four months after another couple went missing on MH370.

Saying that Russia must work towards a political solution in Ukraine, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, on microblogging website Twitter, said he has told Dutch PM Mark Rutte that "we grieve with him and the Dutch people".

Malaysia Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai addressed a press conference in which he said his country would send a disaster team of 62 people to Ukraine. He also said that no last-minute instructions were given to MH17 pilots to change the route.

Associated Press, a news agency, reports that Ukraine`s separatist rebels claim to have eight out of the Malaysian plane`s 12 recording devices. They said they were considering what to do with them.

Speaking at a meeting in Kiev, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said: "The Russians are done for. This is an international crime which must be investigated by the international tribunal in The Hague.”

Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister, wrote in a Facebook post that the Buk surface-to-air missile system that was allegedly used by pro-Russian rebels to shoot down MH17 was sneaked in Russia overnight.

According to Ukraine`s State Emergencies Service, 121 bodies have been found at the crash site.

Malaysian PM Najib Razak`s 83-year-old step-grandmother was on the MH17 flight.

British Prime Minister David Cameron called an emergency meeting following the crash of a Malaysian airliner in rebel-held east Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and called for an urgent resolution to the Ukraine crisis. In a statement, the Kremlin said: "The head of Russia stressed that the tragedy once again highlighted the need for an urgent peaceful settlement of the most acute crisis in Ukraine and noted there is a need for a thorough and objective investigation of the air crash."

In the wake of the MH17 tragedy, Ukrainian aviation authorities have closed airspace over eastern regions where a security operation is underway.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called Russia`s response to the downing of a Malaysian Airlines jet over Ukraine "deeply, deeply unsatisfactory".

The International Aids Society announces that its conference in Melbourne will go ahead as planned "in recognition of our colleagues` dedication to the fight against HIV/Aids".

BBC has quoted Professor Michael Clarke of the Royal United Services Institute as saying that the evidence pointed to a mistaken attack by Russian separatist forces. "We know that the separatists actually boasted on 29 June that they had captured an SA-11 air defence system from the Ukrainians... We`ve also got the evidence that`s been coming out overnight that the leader of the separatists Igor Strelkov... tweeted that he had brought down an Antanov 26 Russian transport. He then deleted that tweet very very quickly."

Shares in Moscow have fallen on Friday morning, reports Reuters.

No Indian was onboard the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines plane, said India`s Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

In a picture published today, Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen along with and members of his government observing a moment of silence mourning the lives lost in the MH17 crash.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott orders the Australian national flag to be flown at half-mast on Saturday "as a mark of respect to the Australians who have lost their lives".

The Malaysia Airlines, in the wake of the tragedy, has announced to change the route its planes will take on flights to and from Europe.

According to Reuters, a news agency, rescue workers have recovered a second flight recorder from the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in a statement, said pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine have agreed to provide assistance in an investigation into the downing of MH17. They have also agreed to ensure safe access for international experts visiting the crash site.

The last glimpse of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was captured by Malaysian passenger Md Ali Md Salim moments before departure, a media report said. The 14-second video, which was uploaded on his Instagram account, showed other passengers stowing their luggage in the overhead compartment, the Malaysian Star reported.

An Indian-origin flight steward was among the 15 crew members onboard the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

In a statement, the Malaysia Airlines said MH17`s plane had "a clean maintenance record" and its last check was on July 11. "The aircraft had a clean bill of health... All communication systems on the aircraft were functioning normally."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has said that the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 did not give a distress call before it crashed, media reported on Friday.

The Malaysia Airlines today confirmed that there were 298 people onboard flight MH17 which crashed in Ukraine on Thursday.

Six members of a family were killed in the Malaysian plane crash. The entire family from Kuching city were on their way back from Kazakhstan transiting via Amsterdam, reported thestar.com

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said it is sending a team to MH17 crash zone in Ukraine.

Shares in Malaysia Airlines fell almost 18 percent in trading on Friday morning.

In a televised address, Indonesia`s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that he has issued instructions for Indonesian airlines to avoid conflict areas, especially Ukraine and the Gaza strip.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on microblogging website Twitter, pays his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in MH17 crash.

The Malaysian airliner apparently shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine was flying over airspace that a number of other Asian carriers abandoned months ago because of security concerns. South Korea`s two main airlines, Korean Air and Asiana, as well as Australia`s Qantas and Taiwan`s China Airlines said they had all rerouted flights from as early as the beginning of March when Russian troops moved into Crimea.

New Zealand`s Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has confirmed that a New Zealand woman died in the MH17 crash.

As per the KyivPost, a telephone conversation between alleged Russian-backed Cossack militants appears to indicate their involvement in the horrific jet crash. The Security Service of Ukraine released the recorded conversation between militants code-named named `Greek` and `Major`.

In an interview, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said that an action was needed to "put (Vladimir) Putin on notice that he has gone too far and we are not going to stand idly by".

Some of the world`s top AIDS experts, bound for an international conference in Melbourne, Australia, were among those killed in Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash, authorities said on Friday.

A report in the New York Times has cited American officials as saying that they suspect a Russian-made missile had shot down MH17.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has ordered Chinese aircrafts to avoid eastern Ukraine airspace following the MH17 crash in that region.

The Malaysia Airlines said on Friday that the MH17 route had been declared safe by the UN aviation arm, the International Civil Aviation Organisation. It also said the International Air Transportation Association "had stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions".

Confirming that 27 Australians were on MH17, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament that the downing of MH17 "looks less like an accident than a crime". "If so, the perpetrators must be brought to justice."

The White House, in a statement, has urged Russia, pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine "to support an immediate ceasefire in order to ensure safe and unfettered access to the crash site for international investigators and in order to facilitate the recovery of remains".

According to an Indian daily, a flight carrying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the same flight route as the MH17. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flight back to India, which took off from Frankfurt two hours before the crash and was in the same flight corridor, was rerouted", the report said. “There was no danger to the PM’s plane, but obviously the area that they would have flown over would have been the same", the report quoted an aviation official as saying.

Ukrainian airspace has been closed after crash, said Eurocontrol director.

In a Facebook post, aviation website Flightradar24.com said that MH17`s plane crashed exactly 17 years after its first flight.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday morning on Ukraine. Britain`s UN Mission said on Thursday it requested the meeting and later tweeted that it is set for 10 am Friday.

US President Barack Obama has called the Malaysian Prime Minister and his Ukrainian counterpart to discuss the situation of Malaysian plane crash in the war-torn eastern Ukraine.

There were 298 people, including 154 Dutch nationals, on board the Malaysia Airlines flight that crashed in strife-torn eastern Ukraine, an official from the carrier has said.

Malaysia on Friday dispatched a team of investigators to Ukraine to try and uncover what happened to flight MH17 after it crashed in a rebel-held area amid speculation it had been shot down.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a full international investigation of the Malaysia Airlines disaster in east Ukraine. He also offered condolences to the victims` families.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine was responsible for the crash of a Malaysian airline carrying 298 people in the strife-torn east of the former Soviet state.

A social media site attributed to a top Ukrainian rebel commander said the insurgents had shot down an Army transporter at the location where a Malaysia Airlines plane crashed on Thursday near the Russian border.

US Vice President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that the United States was ready to help probe the crash of a Malaysian Airlines plane in eastern Ukraine.

Indian carriers, Air India and Jet Airways, will avoid the airspace of war-torn eastern Ukraine following a directive issued to them by the DGCA.

Terming the crash of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine as a "terrible tragedy", US President Barack Obama on Thursday said officials were trying to establish if any Americans were on board. "The world is watching reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border, and it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy," Obama said at Wilmington in Delaware, where he delivered remarks on the US infrastructure. Earlier the US President was informed about the plane crash by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a presidential spokesman said. The United States is closely monitoring the situation, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said.