Find the latest updates on Malaysian flight MH17 here.
An armed pro-Russian separatist stands at the site of the Malaysia Airlines crash in the Donetsk region July 17.REUTERS/Maxim ZmeyevA Malaysian airliner was shot down over the Ukraine on Thursday — killing all 298 aboard, including 23 Americans — and a top US official blamed Russia’s military.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the passenger jet “was caught in the crossfire” between Ukraine and anti-government rebels and “was shot down by Russians,” who are supporting the rebels.
“Clearly that had to have been accidentally [and] not intentionally because it’s a commercial airliner. I don’t know what the motivation would be for it to be intentional,” said McCaul, who said he had been briefed on the crash by government officials. “In either event, it’s going to cause a real international incident.”
The Boeing 777 was cruising at 33,000 feet and headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed near the Russian border about 4:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EDT) after it was shot down by a powerful Russian Buk rocket, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister said.
This coverage is no longer live. More coverage of the MH17 tragedy here.
#BREAKING: U.S. aviation authorities say American air carriers have voluntarily agreed to avoid airspace near Russia-Ukraine border — Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2014
A man believed to be on Flight MH17 posted this on Facebook before the flight took off. The caption reads: “Should it disappear, this is what it looks like."
An Emergencies Ministry official walks among the wreckage. (REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev)
Breaking: #Ukraine govt says has recordings of calls b/t "terrorists" & Russian intel discussing "shoot-down" of Malaysian jet
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 17, 2014
Speaker Boehner on Flight MH17: “Many innocents were killed today. It is horrifying, and we await the facts." - @ABCPolitics
— ABC News (@ABC) July 17, 2014
BREAKING: Armed Russian Separatists now in control of the MH17 crash site and not allowing anyone approach the wreckage - @ABC
— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) July 17, 2014
A quick look on @flightradar24 and you can see the move away from Ukraine airspace pic.twitter.com/lS3OI5O8Ug
— PLANEtalking (@PLANE_talking) July 17, 2014
Airlines no longer flying over Ukraine:
-Air France
-Lufthansa
-Auroflot
-Turkish Airlines
-Transaero
-Delta Airlines— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) July 17, 2014
#BREAKING: Separatists willing to have up to three day ceasefire to allow for recovery work at site of downed airliner: RIA
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2014
WSJ BREAKING: Ukraine Advised Pilots Not to Fly Between 26,000 Feet and 32,000 Feet Over Region -- FAA #MH17
— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) July 17, 2014
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