Last eerie selfie from MH17

Footage has been released by pro-Russian rebels at the scene immediately after the plane came down. Courtesy: BBC

Of the 298 people on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, remains of some 100 passengers are still missing. The Ukrainian government has criticized lack of full access to the site in an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels. The WSJs Ramy Inocencio reports.

Sky News has apologised after a reporter rummaged through an MH17 victim's personal belongings. Source: Supplied

AS Gary Slok and his mother settled into their seats on flight MH17, there was just enough time to take and upload a selfie before take off.

That picture was to be their last.

"Gary and his mum Petra were on their way to Malaysia to have the dream holiday of their life. Sadly they never got the chance to fulfil that dream," a club spokesman from Gary's team said.

"But his story and his last picture tell you how dreams of many people with wonderful lives ahead of them have been wrecked."

So happy: Gary Slok and his mother Petra uploaded this selfie on board Flight MH17 just before the aircraft took off. Source: Supplied

EARLIER TODAY:

• Dutch man escapes tragedy on Malaysia Airlines flights not once but twice.

• Sky News apologises for rummaging through luggage.

• Black boxes in the hands of Russian rebels.

• Official Australian death toll released .

• How the international press reported MH17.

• What happened to the bodies of the victims?

• Katy Perry said WHAT about MH17?

• Is this the missile launcher that shot down MH17?

• Banks taking "preventive measures" after passengers' cards stolen

• Heartbreaking story of MH17 loss.

• Tony Abbott talks with Vladimir Putin, but what did he say?

• Heartbreaking images from the crash scene ... and beyond.

7pm

The bodies of the MH17 victims, including up to 39 Australian citizens and residents, will be transferred to Amsterdam as soon as possible, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says.

Some 251 bodies are currently in refrigerated trains in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine.

6.15pm

BREAKING: Fighting has erupted at the train station in the city of Donestk, with unconfirmed reports that the Ukrainian army is attacking the rebel stronghold.

1.35pm

Another Australian victim of MH17 has been identified as Sydney preschool teacher Gabriele Lauschet, Fairfax reports.

The newspaper said the "much loved, caring" teacher, who has an adult son called Tim, had taught at the German International School at Terrey Hills since 2000.

The 47-year-old Ms Lauschet had only recently become engaged to fellow school staff member Andreas Schaaf.

Gabriele Lauschet (right) in an undated picture. Source: Facebook

1:05pm

Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek has met with AIDS 2014 organisers in Melbourne to learn more about those who were lost in this "terrible tragedy".

"This has gone on too long already," she said of Russian activists keeping the crash site hostage.

12:30pm

Heartbreaking photos from the crash scene ... and beyond.

A woman leaves the site in tears. Pic Ella Pellegrini Source: News Corp Australia

Locals attend a special mass in Saint Vitus Church in memory of the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 20, 2014 in Hilversum, Netherlands. Three families from Hilversum were killed in the crash. Picture: Christopher Furlong. Source: Getty Images

Sunbury real estate agent Albert and wife, Maree Rizk, were killed in the MH17 plane crash. Condolences at office. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano Source: News Corp Australia

Flowers lie on part of the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Grabovo, Ukraine. Picture: Rob Stothard Source: Getty Images

12:20pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to co-operate with outraged world leaders seeking access to the site of downed flight MH17, after Washington squarely pointed the finger of blame at Moscow for the crash.

The under-fire Russian leader appeared to seek to temper international fury after US Secretary of State John Kerry said the missile system used to shoot down the Malaysia Airlines jet was "transferred from Russia in the hands of separatists".

More on Vladimir Putin's reaction HERE.

Will Putin stick to his word? Picture: Mikhail Klimentyev Source: AFP

1 1:40am

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has reached out to the families of MH17 victims. Mr Abbott touched on a number of points during a press conference this morning.

■ "It's true they have been given somewhat better access today but as anyone who has been watching the footage would know this is still an absolutely shambolic situation. It does look more like a garden clean up than a forensic investigation."

■ "We want to retrieve the bodies, we want to investigate the site and we want to punish the guilty, that's what we want to do. It's absolutely imperative that we bring them home, in order to bring them home we have to get them out."

■ "I want everyone to know that their Prime Minister is available to them at a time like that."

■ "The mood of the leaders that I spoke to is firmer and sterner now than it was in the 24 hours immediately subsequent to the downing of this aircraft."

■ On Putin: "I'm not going into details, I don't think it is fair to go into great detail as to the nature of this conversation, but to President Putin's credit he did say all the right things. What he did say was fine; the challenge now is to hold the President to his word, that's my intention.

■ "The train where the bodies seem to be held has been prevented to leave by the Russian-backed rebels and again, this is completely unacceptable."

11:25am

Foreign minister Julie Bishop said an urgent vote could take place as early as Monday in the U.N. Security Council on a resolution demanding international access to the crash site. Ms Bishop told reporters in Washington on Sunday she expects all 15 council members to fully support Australia's proposal.

The resolution calls for pro-Russia separatists to allow international access to the crash site of the passenger jet and asks for the full co-operation of all countries in the region, including Russia.

Russia has the power to veto the resolution as a permanent council member.

U.N. diplomats have tweeted that the council will vote Monday afternoon on the proposal co-sponsored by Australia, France and Lithuania.

"I would expect every country to give it their full support," Bishop said.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Russia must act immediately to de-escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine.

11:20am

11:15am

The father of three Australian children killed on board MH17 has taken indefinite leave from his job as head of Buxton Resources.

A brief statement from the Perth-based mining company on Monday said Anthony Maslin was taking personal leave from his job as managing director.

Mr Maslin and his wife Rin returned to Perth at the weekend from Amsterdam, where they had farewelled their three children on the ill-fated flight last Thursday.

The children, Mo, 12, Evie, 10 and Otis, eight, boarded MH17 with their grandfather Nick Norris so they could return to Australia from their European holiday in time to start school this week.

Their devastated parents flew home on Saturday and attended a public tribute for their children at Mo's junior football club on Sunday.

The three children and their grandfather were among 298 people who died when MH17 was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

Anthony Maslin (centre red coat, hat) grieves with friends from their eldest son Mo's football club yesterday, after all 3 of his children died on board the Malaysian flight MH17. Source: News Corp Australia

11:10am

10:35am

Just when you thought the looting of MH17 victims' personal effects were bad enough, there are now reports that credit and debit cards have been stolen.

The Dutch Banking Association is taking "preventive measures" to ensure the stolen cards will not be used for personal gain, but in case they are, victims' families will be compensated, it claims.

The Dutch Banking Association assures families they are taking "preventive measures". Source: Supplied

10:15am

Ukrainian sources have claimed that this video shows the missile launcher used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

TITLE: Buk Missile

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CAPTION:.

The video, taken on a dashboard camera on Saturday, shows a military truck driving for two kilometres near the Russia-Ukraine boarder, The Mirror reports.

One online version of the video reads: "For two kilometres, a blogger from Russia has been driving behind covered BUK 1M which, according to his words, had been driving from the Ukrainian border. His opinion it that is exactly that BUK that made the shot."

10:10am

This is the final Facebook post of Ariza Ghazalee, whose picture of 15 pieces of luggage was to signal a new life with her family in Malaysia.

"Starting our new hijrah, Alhamdulillah," she wrote, meaning "Starting our new migration, Praise God."

Ghazalee, along with her husband and four children, never made it to their final destination.

10:05am

10:00am

More reports of luggage looting from CNN reporter Chris Cuomo.

9:55am

Reporters describe the difficulty and danger in accessing the MH17 crash scene.

9:50am

It seems Katy Perry may have hit the wrong note when tweeting about the MH17 disaster.

The American popster revealed how sad she was to hear about the 100 UNICEF volunteers who were on-board the doomed flight.

But presumably Perry confused the volunteers with workers, staff and researchers heading to the International AIDS conference in Melbourne.

9:45am

Questions still remain over the whereabouts of the victims' bodies after this scene played out yesterday. There are grave fears the bodies have been tampered with and that the crash site of MH17 — dubbed the world's biggest crime scene — has been contaminated

"It's an utter outrage that the site has been contaminated, that bodies have been removed and that they've not been handed over to independent authorities," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters in New York, where she is pushing the United Nations Security Council to set up an urgent international investigation into the incident.

9:35am

It has been revealed that the step-grandmother of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razek perished along with the 297 others on board the doomed flight.

9:30am

As a mark of respect to the crew and passengers of MH17, Malaysia Airlines retires MH17 flight number.

9:15am

Sad ...

9:05am

This is how the international press reported on the disaster over the weekend.

8:55am

Tony Abbott says Russia must show genuine remorse and regret over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17, giving his strongest hint that President Vladimir Putin could be barred from this year's G20 summit.

"Russian controlled territory, Russian-backed rebels, quite likely a Russian supplied weapon — Russia can't wash its hands of this," Mr Abbott told the ABC yesterday.

Labor, the Greens and Queensland Liberal Premier Campbell Newman have all explicitly demanded Russian co-operation in the investigation before he is welcomed at the Brisbane summit in November.

The warning came after Russia's G8 membership was suspended over its takeover of Crimea in March.

8:45am

Thirty-seven Australian residents have been confirmed as among the dead from the Malaysia Airlines tragedy.

The official Australian death toll from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade includes 28 Australian citizens and an additional nine permanent residents.

8:35am

Residents have reported bodies raining down on their village in eastern Ukraine where MH17 crashed to the ground.

The naked corpse of a woman fell through the rickety roof of 65-year-old resident Irina Tipunova, Reuters reports.

"There was a howling noise and everything started to rattle. Then objects started falling out of the sky," the 65-year-old pensioner said.

"And then I heard a roar and she landed in the kitchen, the roof was broken," she said, showing the gaping hole made by the body when it came through the ceiling of the kitchen.

"The body's still here because they told me to wait for experts to come and get it."

"Everything started to rattle," said Irina Tipunova. Source: Supplied

8:30am

Ukraine's security service yesterday revealed that it had "compelling evidence" Russian-backed rebels were behind the MH17 disaster.

Counter-intelligence chief at the SSU, Vitaly Nayda, said: "The SSU conducts investigative actions and receives irrefutable evidence that Russian citizens were involved in the act of terrorism."

Mr Nayda's claim comes as the United States confirmed that Russia supplied sophisticated missile launchers to separatists in eastern Ukraine and that attempts were made to move them back across the Russian border after the Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down.

8:25am

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has led the world with a strong rebuke of Russia in the wake of the MH17 disaster.

"My fear is that Russia will say the right thing, but that on the ground interference with the site, interference with investigators, interference with the dignified treatment of bodies will continue," he told the ABC yesterday.

Mr Abbott demanded that the bodies of those killed when the flight crashed be "treated with respect".

"We owe it to the families — all the families — to do everything in our power to respect the bodies, to find the truth and to ensure that justice is done," Mr Abbott later told Channel Nine.

8:15am

The black boxes of the doomed Malaysian Airlines flight have been found and confirmed to be in the hands of Russian rebels, it has emerged.

Pro-Russian separatists, who control swathes of east Ukraine, had removed the flight recorders from the MH17 wreckage after the plane was shot down.

Rebel leader Alexander Borodai initially denied having the vital equipment but has now confirmed his movement does have them, revealing the black boxes would be handed over to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Video shows flight data recorder being recovered from crash site of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine. Jillian Kitchener reports.

8:00am

7:50am

British broadcaster Sky News has apologised after one of its presenters searched through luggage at the crash site of downed flight MH17 live on air.

In a news broadcast on Sunday, presenter Colin Brazier was shown searching through personal belongings in an opened suitcase at the site, picking up a set of keys before saying: "We shouldn't really be doing this."

The footage was greeted with anger on social media, including calls for Brazier to be sacked, reports AFP.

"Today while presenting from the site of the MH17 air crash Colin Brazier reflected on the human tragedy of the event and showed audiences the content of one of the victims' bags," a Sky News spokesman said.

"Colin immediately recognised that this was inappropriate and said so on air. Both Colin and Sky News apologise profusely for any offence caused."

7:45am

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has spoken with Russian president Vladimir Putin about MH17 amid concerns Russian-backed rebels are hampering an investigation.

The discussion comes as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop pushes for a UN-backed resolution to secure international access to the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

She expects Russia and all other countries on the UN Security Council to back the resolution.

Mr Abbott and the Russian leader spoke overnight, and while he would not go into the detail of his conversation with Mr Putin, but reported that "he said all the right things".

"Now he has to be as good as his word," he told Macquarie Radio this morning.

Tony Abbott has been particularly vocal against Russia since the downing of MH17. Picture: Alex Ellinghausen Source: Supplied

7:40am

A former flight planner has revealed it would have cost Malaysia Airlines $66 per passenger to divert around Ukrainian airspace.

The diversion would have added up to 45 minutes to the journey, adding up to between $14,500 and $18,750 to the overall cost of the flight, The Australian reported.

7 :25am

Dutch man Maarten De Jonge is counting his lucky stars after escaping death not once but twice, after being booked on to fly both doomed Malaysia Airlines flights.

The 29-year-old cyclist from Oldenzaal was scheduled to take missing flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur in March to compete in Taiwan for a race, but switched to another flight to avoid having a stopover.

He was also booked to fly on flight MH17 but changed his ticket for a later flight on the weekend to save money.

On his website he said that he was "overwhelmed" with responses to his story but added the focus should move back to victims and their families.

Maarten De Jonge said he would still fly with Malaysia Airlines again. Picture: @maartenmaleis Source: Twitter

04.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

MasterChef gets down to final four

'Cyclone' Tracy Collins ... the SA mother of three was renowned for leaving the kitchen in a mess. Source: Supplied

'CYCLONE' Tracy Collins has been blown out of MasterChef Australia after stumbling in a 'No Rules Invention Test' tonight.

The 38-year-old mother-of-three from South Australia plated up against Emelia Jackson, Brent Owens, Jamie Fleming, and Laura Cassai on the Channel 10 cooking show — and lost.

Tracy's exit was a sad end to an emotion-filled night when Brent finally made his 'light at the end of the tunnel' dish devoted to his dad, Les, and his struggles, and Emelia reinvented a Greek favourite to honour her mum, Nada.

EARLIER: Amy reveals her next big project

EARLIER: MasterChef's most diabolical dessert

The five contestants were under pressure to come up with something special after judges Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris announced that there were no rules to tonight's cook-off.

She's out ... Tracy Collins feels the heat. Source: Channel 10

Competitors had full and unrestricted access to the pantry and garden for ingredients and were given the power to decide the cooking time.

The five quickly decided on a 90-minute challenge with Jamie wanting to showcase vegetables, Tracy seafood, Emelia Greek food, and Laura artichokes.

Brent announced that he would finally tackle his seafood 'light at the end of the tunnel' dish which he wasn't able to attempt in the show's Heston Blumenthal week as it didn't meet the renowned chef's brief.

Tracy earned the nickname 'cyclone' for her messy kitchen habits and they were on full display tonight. Calombaris chided Tracy after discovering the chaos extended under her bench.

Tracy's ambition got the better of her when she decided to create two sauces for her lobster. She burnt her orange buerre blanc sauce and had to start again.

From there, things started to unravel and her bench quickly descended into a messy disaster zone. She missed adding a crunchy breadcrumb element to the dish.

"To throw out all those restrictions we were used to and give us open slather was overwhelming," Tracy says.

"I wanted to show my evolution and more technique and do something different with this dish. I was pushing myself the entire time.

"I have to have a laugh about my 'Cyclone' nickname. It certainly isn't the way I like to cook. In a professional kitchen I'm not like that at all. In the MasterChef kitchen where you have so many elements it is easy for the tidiness to unravel.

"Unfortunately, I missed an element and my plating wasn't there and that sent me home."

Jamie decided he wanted to create a seasonal vegetable salad with smoked duck. Mehigan, along with Matt Preston and George Calombaris, warned that duck was a tricky ingredient to cook with. It was duck that sent Ben and Laura into last night's elimination.

Brent's tribute to his dad saw him combining light and dark including a white sphere made from raw scallops and crème fraîche and prawns with a seafood reduction turned jet black with squid ink.

Out of the mix ... the 'no rules invention challenge' proved a stumbling block for Tracy Collins. Source: Channel 10

Emelia was determined to cook a dish to celebrate her mother and decided to reinvent the classic Greek dessert baklava as a parfait. She added a burnt honey sphere and chocolate sorbet for wow factor.

Laura was told by the judges that she needed to step up and create a restaurant-quality dish after so many family-style recipes.

Laura combined quail and artichokes for her dish which drew on her Italian heritage. The 19-year-old stumbled when her roasted artichokes turned brown and unappealing and was forced to make a second batch.

In the end, Laura scored best dish and won the advantage in tomorrow night's challenge. The judges said she had taken her cooking to a new level of sophistication.

Jamie also won praise for his perfectly-cooked duck with the judges noting how far his skills had advanced.

The judges admired Ben's heartfelt dish but felt that it is still in prototype form and just missed the mark.

Emelia was stunned when Calombaris said that her modern baklava was even better than his mum's.

Tracy's presentation let her down. The judges said that her two sauces were clever but not perfect. There was the making of a good dish but it felt unfinished, they said.

Brent and Tracy landed in the bottom two with the judges giving Brent points for the creativity of his dish — and Tracy was sent packing.

"I'm totally happy with the decision the judges made," Tracy says. "I look at the standard of the competition — all four of them are amazing.

"From the beginning, I thought Jamie and Emelia would be in the finale but then I have seen how much Brent and Laura have grown through the competition.

"Brent's plating is beautiful and Laura seems to have a real understanding of what her cooking is about at such a young age."

Tracy was an award-winning hairdresser before competing on MasterChef.

She is now doing work experience at Adelaide's Orana restaurant, writing a food column for Barossa Living magazine and working on a food website.

Tracy is married to winemaker Jaysen and is mum to daughter Finella, 11, and sons Harper, 8, and Charlie, 6.

She still hopes to start up a communal eating house in the Barossa in the future.

04.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brutal split kills MasterChef goal

Ben is eliminated from Masterchef after his banana split failed to impress the judges. Courtesy: Channel Ten

Eliminated ... Ben MacDonald was the last Queenslander standing on MasterChef. Source: News Corp Australia

FINALS week is here and another hopeful has departed the MasterChef kitchen after a pressure test, leaving us with our Top 5.

This time it was Queensland contestant Ben MacDonald who bowed out after failing to nail the intricate dessert challenge set by guest chef alumni Darren Purchese, Christy Tania and Nick Palumbo.

MORE: Is this MasterChef's meanest dessert chef?

The three leading dessert chefs put their heads together to come up with their very own take on the classic banana split — and there was nothing traditional about this devishly difficult interpretation.

Deconstructing the dessert — the banana and coffee parfait is the brainchild of pastry pro Darren Purchese, Christy Tania is behind the smoked coconut and cinnamon foam, the amaretto cherry spheres and the almond pistachio nougatine, while ice cream king Nick Palumbo unveiled the spiced and roasted banana gelato with his 'peanutella' chocolate and peanut sauce to drizzle over the top. Phew.

Ben was up against Jamie and Laura in the pressure test and the three were given just two hours to prepare the dish.

But Ben, who hasn't struggled with the dessert challenges so far, said he went in full of confidence and cruised through the first few processes.

"I've had really good success with desserts in the challenges. I felt positive, it was going really well until halfway through," he told news.com.au.

"I hit a few hiccups but nothing that really derailed the train," the Brisbane-based IT consultant added.

Queensland Masterchef contestant Ben MacDonald is out of the competition. Source: News Corp Australia

But little errors began to pile up for the Queenslander. He curdled his custard for the parfait and was forced to start again. He then opted to cook his peanutella on a high heat to save time, causing the oil in the peanut butter to split and leaving him with nothing but an oily sauce. Disaster.

As the dishes were tasted, Jamie's dessert was the clear frontrunner and it looked like it could have gone either way between Laura and Ben. Fortunately for the talented teen, her peanutella sauce was a stand out and clinched the win, sending fellow contestant Ben home.

"It's definitely a reflection of this time in the competition, the smallest thing can send you home and everyone is a really good cook," he said after exiting the competition.

This just leaves Brent, Emelia, Jamie, Laura and Tracy to fight it out for the MasterChef 2014 title. But who's going to take it out?

"It's going to come down to the challenges that get served up and who they suit and who has a bit of luck on their side on the day. The reality is you can't know everything, even if you practice your heart out."

MasterChef continues Monday night, 7.30pm on Ten.

Still in the race ... MasterChef contestant Jamie Fleming. Source: Channel 10

04.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

‘Proof’ Russian rebels behind MH17 tragedy

Tony Abbott has warned that it may be weeks before the bodies of MH17 victims are returned to Australia.

A masked armed separatist militant poses for a photographer near the site of the crash of a Malaysia Airlines plane Source: AFP

UKRAINE'S security service claims it has "compelling evidence'' Russian-backed rebels are behind the MH17 disaster which killed 298 people, including 37 Australian citizens and permanent residents.

The Prime Minister's office has confirmed an additional resident from Western Australia was on MH17, taking the death toll to 37 residents and citizens.

Ukraine's emergency services claim separatist rebels have taken away all the 196 bodies that workers recovered from the Malaysian Airlines plane crash site to an unknown location.

The Associated Press is reporting that the rebels put bagged bodies onto trucks at the crash site before driving them away on Saturday.

Dozens of bodies from the crash site were then loaded onto refrigerated rail carriages.

The train — which has five refrigerated carriages carrying the corpses — has departed from a station close to the main crash site and is reportedly heading for rebel stronghold Donetsk, according to the Associated Press.

Monitors from European security body Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe inspected the carriages at Torez station, Russian news agency Ria Novosti reports.

The monitors were quoting them as saying a total of 198 bodies were on board — presumably recovered from across the vast crash site.

Nataliya Khuruzhaya, a duty officer at the train station in Torez, 15 kilometres from the crash site, said she saw emergency workers loading bodies Sunday into five sealed, refrigerated train cars.

She said the train was scheduled to head to the town of Ilovaysk, 35 kilometres further east toward the Russian border, but no instructions had been given about when it would leave or any possible destinations beyond Ilovaysk.

Russian news agencies said the bodies were heading to the rebel stronghold of Donetsk. Ukrainian officials say they expect to have the bodies eventually delivered to government-held city of Kharkiv, but it's unclear if the rebels will agree to do so.

The pro-Russian rebels who had been guarding the main impact site also appeared to have left, with about a dozen stretchers, paper masks and plastic gloves abandoned at the site.

The poles marking locations where bodies had been found in the field had also been removed.

The Associated Press is reporting that the rebels put bagged bodies onto trucks at the crash site before driving them away on Saturday.

Meanwhile, "Novorossiya" - a pro-Russian rebel has tweeted the black boxes belonging to Malaysian airliner MH17 had been brought to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

On Sunday, AP journalists saw no bodies at the crash site and emergency workers were searching the sprawling area only for body parts.

Ukrainian spokeswoman Nataliya Bystro said that the emergency workers had been labouring under duress and were forced to give the bodies to the armed rebels.

"Where they took the bodies - we don't know," Bystro told The Associated Press.

Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the Ukraine crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was "absolutely chaotic", and he feared interference with the evidence would continue.

The doomed flight was shot down on Friday by a surface-to-air missile over a part of Ukraine controlled by Russian separatists.

MORE: AUSSIE VICTIMS LOST ON MH17

PUTIN UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE ACTION

The United States has confirmed that Russia supplied sophisticated missile launchers to separatists in eastern Ukraine and that attempts were made to move them back across the Russian border after the Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down.

Reported in The Washington Post , a US official said: "We do believe they were trying to move back into Russia at least three Buk [missile launch] systems". U.S. intelligence was "starting to get indications ... a little more than a week ago" that the Russian launchers had been moved into Ukraine.

The US official's comments were made under a condition of anonymity and compound the claims of the Security Service of Ukraine to have conclusive proof that the Boeing 777 aircraft was shot down with the use of Buk antimissile system which had been transferred, along with its crew, from Russia to Ukraine.

Counter-intelligence chief at the SSU, Vitaly Nayda, said: "The SSU conducts investigative actions and receives irrefutable evidence that Russian citizens were involved in the act of terrorism."

Mr Nayda said the evidence had been already forwarded to all their international partners.

The SSU directly cooperates with the Dutch police and law enforcers from other states whose citizens were victims of the disaster.

Journalists were shown pictures of what Mr Nayda said were photos of three Buk missile systems on the road towards the Russian border hours after MH17 was shot down.

A BUK missile system similar to the one thought to be responsible for bringing down MH17 Source: Supplied

However the images could not be independently verified by international agencies.

Mr Nayda alleged intelligence had identified a launch point in the district controlled by terrorists and the Russian military.

He claimed two movers each with a Buk missile launcher crossed the Russian border in Luhansk region on July 18 -hours after the disaster- and shortly after that three movers: one of them empty, another carrying a launcher with four missiles and the latter allegedly with a control unit, crossed the state border, The New York Times reported.

Mr Nayda said Russia attempted to suppress evidence of its involvement, but did not provide further details.

The allegation of a cover-up, both in hiding the weapons after the missile was fired, and hindering investigators from gathering evidence at the crash scene, is fuelling an already heated political and diplomatic environment.

A man blocks access to the scene of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 as emergency personnel remove the bodies of passengers. Source: Getty Images

The SSU claims come as intelligence chiefs in the US reportedly received multiple reports suggesting Russia provided separatists in eastern Ukraine with anti-aircraft systems and other military equipment.

Fox News said President Obama had been given the reports at Camp David, where he is spending the weekend, that also show the systems were "smuggled" back to Russia after the missile strike.

The revelations follows widespread outrage that three days after the tragedy decomposing bodies are still lying in the open while heavily-armed rebels refuse to co-operate with authorities.

At the same time pressure is continuing to build on Russian President Vladmir Putin to support an international investigation.

There are also growing calls for him to be barred from attending the G20 summit in Brisbane later this year if he fails to do so.

Anger is also growing towards the Russian leader who many blame for supplying the rebels with the sophisticated surface to air missiles reportedly used to bring the plane down.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has led international calls for Russia to assist the investigation into the tragedy while Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has flown to New York to spearhead a campaign for an independent, UN-backed inquiry.

Protesters in Sydney yesterday demanded the Russian President Vladmir Putin not be allowed into Australia for the G20 meeting in November. Source: News Corp Australia

A woman looks at debris from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which landed in a field of sunflowers in Ukraine. Source: Getty Images

Mr Abbott told the ABC this morning: "There are (37) people who call Australia home who have been snuffed out. This is an horrific crime".

He could not be specific when the victims could be returned home because, "not all the bodies will be intact".

At the same time there appeared to be no one in charge at the crash site with investigators twice turned away.

The Prime Minister said it wasn't clear where the bodies that had been removed from the site had been taken.

The tragedy would have touched every Australian, he said.

"You look at the faces of the dead and they're your neighbours, they're your friends, they could be your kids because let's face it, we are a people who like to travel and my own daughters flew on MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe. So this is a tragedy which touches us deeply," he told ABC's Insiders program.

It has also emerged that he hasn't spoken directly to Putin or other senior figures in the Russian Government, aside from the Russian Trade Minister in Sydney for a G20 meeting.

His message was "crystal clear".

"Russian-controlled territory, Russian-backed rebels, quite likely a Russian-supplied weapon: Russia can't wash its hands of this."

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has spoken to Putin in what he described as an "intense" conversation.

"He has one last chance to show he means to help."

An airline envelope in a sunflower field near the MH17 crash site Source: Supplied

The G20 trade meeting went ahead as scheduled despite the escalating diplomatic crisis and angry scenes outside when protesters took to the streets to demand Putin not be allowed entry into Australia.

Signs with the words "Stop Putin" were waved around outside building the G20 meeting was being held in.

Mr Abbott indicated yesterday Putin's attendance hinged largely on how events unfolded over the next few days.

"Australia is a self-respecting country ... Visitors to this country are people who have done the right thing by this country."

Among the Australian victims are 25-year-old Jack O'Brien from NSW, who had been on his way home from a seven week European holiday and a Queensland man, Howard Horder, who quipped that he was flying with Malaysia Airlines and only needed a one-way ticket.

This morning Mr Abbott was joined by the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove at a special mass at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney to honour the MH17 victims.

Australia's political leaders have all been united in their condemnation of the attack and called on Putin to explain Russia's role.

A truck carrying the bodies of some of the passengers of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 leaves the scene of the crash. Source: Getty Images

Labor leader Bill Shorten declared the Opposition would fully support Putin being barred from the event and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said he would not be welcome in his state if he did not fully co-operate.

The tension is not only due to the fact Russian-backed militants in rebel-controlled Ukraine are blamed for the atrocity but the appalling conditions at the crash site.

Investigators have been frustrated at the lack of access to the site which is being guarded by rebels, who argue they are providing security.

Russia denies it has any control over the rebels but there are reports that the bodies are being taken away to Russian-controlled hospitals. It's still unclear where the post-mortem's will be carried out.

Passenger's belongings are strewn throughout the wreckage. Source: AFP

'LOOTING' AT CRASH SCENE, BODIES 'DRAGGED' AWAY

But many bodies lay in fields where they landed unprotected from the elements.

One local described the grim scene.

"There are things everywhere, body parts, there is a laptop over there open and appears to be intact, plastic whisky bottles and I see a little blue backpack with Australians coins, silver ones they have "20" written on them and some pattern, I think they are Australian.

"I see an Australian power plug too, I know what they look like and a lot of children's toys are everywhere."

More than 80 children were killed on MH17.

"There is a little monkey, black and white, which was a children toy and nearby by burning black things, still smoking. Several of them. I didn't realise until after but they were burning children' bodies. It is terribly sad."

Security spokesman Andriy Lysenko accused the separatists of destroying evidence and taking remnants of the plane to Russia.

Speaking through a translator, he said rebels had forced international observers to leave the site so they could remove almost 40 bodies to Donetsk.

A masked armed separatist militant poses for a photographer near the crash site Source: AFP

"According to the information we have that was done in order to find in the bodies of victims parts of missile which shot down the plane.

He said bandits had "taken valuables from bodies and used credit cards of victims of the tragedy".

He confirmed there was on Friday "an appalling case of dragging away a number of bodies, just on a lorry".

"For me it's going beyond any sort of moral value and consideration."

In response to the claims credit cards had been looted from victims, the Dutch Banking Association issued a statement saying next-of-kin would not have to pay costs.

Observers have told of bodies being placed in body bags and left on the side of the road. But in many cases the bags haven't been zipped up and the bodies, in some cases stripped of clothes, are still exposed to the elements.

On the sides of the road and throughout the field where the plane crashed are piles of belongings belonging to the victims.

A Dutch novel, womens' underwear, hairbrushes, celebrity magazines, a smashed Macbook laptop and duty free alcohol are some of the items that appear to have been rifled through. Although whether it's by the rebel guards, or the locals who can walk freely around the wreckage, is unclear.

The atmosphere at the crash site is sombre and tense. Some of the rebel guards became agitated as journalists tried to access the makeshift emergency headquarters and fired off warning shots, The Wall Street Journal said. But there is no cordon around the bodies, or the plane, which is now the world's largest crime scene.

Many of them, who blame Ukraine for shooting down the plane, are furious the world is focused on the MH17 tragedy and not their ongoing dispute with Ukraine.

"Do you consider this a tragedy, what happened here? Why do you think this is a tragedy, because your compatriots, peaceful civilians, died?" said a rebel security official at the site.

"Then I have one other question for you: What about the city of Slovyansk, about Kramatorsk?" he said, referring to local cities where fighting has been severe.

"That wasn't a tragedy when the civilian population was destroyed? Little children. That's not a tragedy?"

Ukrainian rescue workers collect bodies of victims at the site of the MH17 crash Source: Supplied

Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, said 100 rescue workers were on site but under the control of 800 to 900 heavily-armed gunmen.

"Rescue teams have to follow their orders under the guns," he said.

"We ask them give the bodies of innocent people to us. Those bodies should be delivered to their families, to their countries. This is the issue number one for us."

Mr Groysman said when victims' relatives arrived in Kiev they would be put up in hotels. A centre has been established at the international airport to provide next of kin with visas.

Wreckage from the MH17 flight is scattered among a sunflower field. Source: Supplied

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Source: AFP

Mr Groysman said his government had a plane ready to deliver investigators to the crash site but "we didn't receive a guarantee from the Russian Federation as to the security of people who will work on the site".

The country's Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said the Ukrainian government had been talking to the "terrorists", often via videoconference calls, to try and secure unhindered access.

"Unfortunately it was extremely difficult yesterday and it's difficult today," he said.

"What we need now is international pressure also on Russia, because Russia has influence on these terrorists to provide clear and unhindered access to the place of the crash."

04.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

More Aussie victims lost on MH17

Members of a Sydney school community have gathered to mourn the loss of a nun killed in the MH17 attack.

Pro Russian separatists are being blamed for firing a Russian built surface-to-air missile to bring down MH17 in eastern Ukraine

A blue passport bearing the distinctive Australian coat-of-arms has appeared in a Russian television news report from the crash site of MH17 in Ukraine.

An Australian passport seen among the wreckage. Source: Supplied

DETAILS have emerged of the Australians whose lives were taken in the tragic demise of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down by a missile over rebel-held Ukraine on Thursday.

The Prime Minister's office has just revealed that in addition to the 28 Australians there were also eight Permanent Residents on board flight MH17, all who resided in Victoria.

Reports have emerged of a Melbourne family of five who were travelling on Dutch and Malaysian passports.

Hans van den Hende, his wife, Shaliza Dewa, and their boys, Piers, 15, and Marnix, 12, and daughter Margaux, 8, were on the tragic flight according to the Herald Sun.

The family lived in Eynesbury, a tight-knit community in a new estate 40km west of Melbourne.

Howard and Susan Horder from Queensland. Source: Supplied

It's also been revealed that 25-year-old Jack O'Brien from NSW, who had been holidaying in Europe, was on the MH17 flight. His family have released a statement to the media, saying, "The life of our beloved son and brother, Jack, has been ended so suddenly".

"We are devastated at his loss, as are Jack's extended family and friends. Jack, just 25 years old, was returning from a fantastic seven week holiday in Europe. He was loved so much."

Sydney victim of MH17, Jack O'Brien, who was 25-years-old. Source: Supplied

It's also been revealed that a Queensland man who died in the Malaysia Airlines tragedy joked about not returning from his European holiday, the Courier Mail reports.

Before leaving Brisbane, 63-year-old retiree Howard Horder quipped that he was flying with Malaysia Airlines and only needed a one-way ticket, his brother says.

It was a reference to the baffling disappearance of MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March.

"I spoke to him two days before he went on his holiday and he said he was flying with Malaysia Airlines,'' Glenn Horder said.

"I said, `Jeez really?' and he said, `Yes, I only bought a one-way ticket', but he was joking.

"He did buy a return ticket, but that's just my brother's sense of humour.

"He just said that because the other flight didn't come back.''

Other Queensland victims have been identified as Theresa and Wayne Baker.

The couple, who had two sons, are understood to have based themselves on the Sunshine Coast.

While Burleigh resident Helena Sidelik, aged in her late 50s, sent a final message to friends just before she boarded flight MH17, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.

Edel Mahady was returning home to WA on flight MH17 Source: Supplied

Perth resident Edel Mahady, 50, was also among the 28 Australians to perish on the doomed passenger jet.

Mrs Mahady was an Irish woman returning home to Perth for the start of the school term at Good Sheppard Catholic Primary School in Kelmscott, where she worked as an administrator.

Mrs Mahady's husband and two children did not go on the trip, and a source told the Irish Independent that they were "devastated" and "numb with shock and grief."

West Australian agricultural researcher Arjen Ryder, 54, and his wife Yvonne have also been confirmed as among the 28 Australians aboard the flight.

A supplied picture of Edel Mahady. Edel was on board flight MH17 that was shot down over the Ukraine. Source: Supplied

Arjen and Yvonne Ryder, of Kalgan, near Albany in Western Australia, were on flight MH17 that was shot down over the Ukraine. Source: Supplied

Mr Ryder fought salinity for 30 years and helped rehabilitate thousands of hectares of land with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA.

It is understood the Albany couple, who will leave behind three children, were returning from a visit to the Netherlands, where Mr Ryder had family.

Mrs Ryder's sister Anne Trudgeon told PerthNow she had a lost a "beautiful" sister and brother-in-law.

"Words cannot express the grief we are going through," she said.

"We love them very much. I will miss them. May God give us strength to get through this."

Mr Ryder was due to return to work at the department on Monday when he was to receive a special award for 30 years of service as a senior technical officer.

Three people from the Northern Territory, including a teacher from a young outback community, are confirmed as having died in the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster.

Maningrida College homelands teacher Emma Bell. Source: Facebook

Emma Bell, originally from Lithgow in the NSW Blue Mountains, moved to the Top End last year to teach in the remote community of Maningrida, 500kms east of Darwin.

Miss Bell was flying back home from her European holiday in time for the start of the new school term.

Her colleagues in the tight-knit community were devastated as condolence messages began to circulate in Maningrida yesterday morning.

It is understood the NT Education Department has spoken to Ms Bell's family.

Chief Minister Adam Giles said the NT Government was working with Consular officials, and the NT Police Disaster Victim Identification staff remained on standby if needed to assist with identifications.

"This is truly reprehensible and unspeakable criminal act and on behalf of all Territorians, I wish to express my condolences to all the families and friends of the victims, particularly the Territory families involved," Mr Giles said.

"This is a sad and sorry day for our country and all nations affected."

An unidentified NT public servant and her husband are also believed to have been on board the doomed flight.

Also flying back for the start of the new school term were three Perth children.

Mo, 12, Evie, 10, and Otis Maslin, 8 were on the final leg of their trip-of-a-lifetime with their grandfather, Nick Norris.

Mo, Otis and Evie Norris Source: Supplied

Supplied picture of Nick Norris. Nick was on board flight MH17 that was shot down over the Ukraine. Source: Supplied

The children's parents, who did not travel with them, are said to be devastated.

Mr Norris, a well-known sailor and member of the South Perth Yacht Club, is the managing director of Collaborative Systemic Change Pty Ltd. He leaves behind a wife.

Sydney nun Sister Philomene Tiernan with the Sisters of the Sacred Heart at Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart is also among the dead.

"This has come as an enormous shock to me and our school community as I am sure it will to all of you," the school's principal, Hilary Johnston-Croke, wrote to parents today.

"I heard from Phil yesterday morning and she told me that she had left Joigny, where she had been attending a retreat, in Paris while there, she saw Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat in her caisse at St Francis Xavier Church, which was a very special moment for her.

"Phil was a very much loved staff member and friend. She contributed greatly to our community and she touched the lives of all at KRB in such a positive and meaningful way."

Kincoppal – Rose Bay School has confirmed that Sister Philomene Tiernan, 77 (pictured left), was a passenger on Malaysian Airline Flight MH17. Source: Supplied

Also from NSW are retired couple Michael and Carol Clancy, believed to be in their 60s, who were returning from a three-week European holiday.

Carol Clancy's devastated daughter Jane Malcolm fought back tears as she tried to comprehend why someone would want to hurt her mother.

"(Michael) had recently retired and they were going overseas for a big trip and we found out this morning it had been shot down," Ms Malcolm said.

"It hasn't sunk in," she said.

"It's something that happens to other people, not something that happens to you.

"I spoke to them at Sydney Airport, they were excited about leaving a couple of weeks ago. It's really hard to image someone wanting to hurt them."

Mrs Clancy taught at Lakelands Public School and Fig Tree Public School.

Michael and Carol Clancy, killed on Flight MH17. Photo: Anna Fitzgerald. Source: Supplied

Student Elaine Teoh. Source: Instagram

Frankie Davison and her husband Liam. Source: Supplied

Also among the dead are 27-year-old Melbourne University student Elaine Teoh, Victorian couple Albert and Marie Rizk and Toorak teacher Frankie Davison and her husband Liam. Other Victorians not to make it home were Gerry and Mary Menke and Marco Grippeling, 48. He had been holidaying with his wife in Netherlands before boarding Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. His wife Angela reportedly returned home on an earlier flight.

Toowoomba pathologist Dr Roger Guard, his GP wife Jill, and Gold Coast woman Helena Sidelik have been confirmed as three of the nine Queenslanders to die in the MH17 crash.

Mother-of-two Liliane Derden, 50, was one of 28 Australians who were among the 298 passengers aboard the flight from Amsterdam that was shot down near the Ukraine and Russian border. Source: News Corp Australia

Canberra mother-of-two Liliane Derden, 50, from Hall in Canberra's north, was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 when it crashed in rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine.

She worked for the National Health and Medical Research Council whose staff expressed deep sadness at the loss of a valued colleague and friend.

ACT acting chief minister Andrew Barr said the tragedy was devastating news for Ms Derden's family and friends.

A New Zealand woman, a long-time resident of Australia, was travelling with her husband, a Danish citizen, is also believed to have been on the flight.

Helena Sidelik was on her way home from a friend's wedding in Europe when she perished on Flight MH17 Source: Supplied

Pathologist Dr Roger Guard (above) and his GP wife Jill (below) were also on board the flight Source: News Corp Australia

Queenslanders Dr Jill Guard (above) and her pathologist husband Roger Guard were also on board the flight. Source: Supplied

Dr Guard, a long-time Queensland Health employee was due back at work on Monday and was returning from a European holiday with his wife.

The Herald Sun reports that Mr and Mrs Rizk, from Sunbury, missed an earlier flight and ended up on the doomed MH17.

Jack Ogilvie, a friend of the Rizks, said: "I'm in shock. He was one of the best blokes to have a beer with.

"We were actually looking after his son while they were away, making sure he was eating the right things, that sort of thing."

Albert Rizk (left) and his wife Marie (second from right) were believed to have been travelling on Flight MH17. Picture: Adam Elwood Source: News Corp Australia

The number of Australian passengers on board MH17 has been confirmed as 28, including nine from Queensland, nine from Victoria, seven from WA, one from NSW and one from the ACT.

One of the victims is a dual Australian citizen, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed.

In an address to Parliament, Mr Abbott reached out to the families affected by the crash.

"Our hearts go out to the families of all the dead," he said.

"We can't restore them to life but we can and will do everything to support them at this sad and bitter time, because that is the Australian way; we help in times of trouble."

Another victim was 24-year old Fatima Dyczynski, who was flying to Perth to meet her parents and begin a new life in Australia, PerthNow reports.

A supplied picture of Fatima Dyczynski. Source: Supplied

Ms Dyczynski's parents Angela and George were waiting for their daughter at Perth Airport this afternoon and hoping against hope that she was still alive.

The couple, who have lived in Perth for the past seven years said they last spoke to their daughter via Skype moments before she boarded the aircraft.

Ms Dyczynski said it was her daughter's dream to return to Australia after spending one year as a student at Perth's John XXIII College in Year 11.

"It was all that she wanted," she said.

Ms Dyczynski, an Aerospace Engineer, was returning to Perth for an internship with IBM.

A family member cries as she receives the news of the ill fated flight MH17 on the phone. Picture: Rahman Roslan Source: Getty Images

Meanwhile, distressed family members of relatives who were on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down in east Ukraine are expressing their anger and grief over the devastating news.

Akmar Mohd Noor wept as she explained her sister was on board the flight to visit her family.

"She was coming back from Geneva to celebrate with us for the first time in 30 years," she said.

The names of the 15 crew members on board the flight has been revealed as family members gathered in Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam airports, growing increasingly restless waiting for official information.

Malaysian news source Sin Chew released the names including its two Captains and Vice-Captains.

Malaysia Airlines revised the number of passengers travelling on flight MH17 from 295 to 298 people, while releasing further information of its passenger manifest.

Its latest announcement states: "As opposed to the earlier statement, the flight was carrying a total number of 298 people — comprising 283 passengers including three infants of various nationalities and 15 crew of Malaysian nationality. Some of the nationalities of the passengers are yet to be determined."

Screengrab of the crew members on MH17's passenger manifest. Source: Supplied

According to the airline's passenger list, the majority of the 283 passengers were Dutch (154), while 45 passengers were Malaysian, followed by 28 Australians.

Vision of an Australian passport found among the wreckage was aired on Russian television.

There were also 12 Indonesian, nine British, four German, four Belgian, three from the Philippines and one from Canada.

Fifteen crew members were also on board, all Malaysian nationals. It is believed all 298 passengers perished in the crash.

Three infants were on board.

Malaysia Airlines said it was in the process of notifying the relatives of passengers and crew.

"Our focus now is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilise its full support to provide all possible care to the next-of-kin," the airline said in a statement.

"Malaysia Airlines is deploying its "Go Team" to Amsterdam with a group of caregivers and volunteers to assist the family members of the passengers.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

MORE: RUSSIAN REBELS 'LIKELY RESPONSIBLE' FOR MH17 CRASH

MORE: GRIM COINCIDENCE? MH17 VANISHES MONTHS AFTER MH370

Earlier, it emerged that leading AIDS researcher Joep Lange was among more than 100 passengers who were on their way to Melbourne to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference. Mr Lange was president of the International AIDS Society.

Joep Lange is Professor of Medicine, Head of the Department of Global Health, at the Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam Source: News Corp Australia

"The International AIDS Society (IAS) today expresses its sincere sadness at receiving news that a number of colleagues and friends en route to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference taking place in Melbourne, Australia, were on board the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight that has crashed over Ukraine earlier today," the IAS said in a statement.

"At this incredibly sad and sensitive time the IAS stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost to this tragedy."

In an interview with 3AW's Neil Mitchell, Mr Abbott described the incident as an "unspeakable crime".

"This is a grim, grim day," he said.

"If I could first of all offer my deepest condolences of passengers and families on this plane.

If you are unable to contact family members and still hold concerns for their welfare, you should call DFAT's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on + 61 2 6261 3305 from overseas, or within Australia on 1300 555 135.

04.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia busted editing MH17 info

Tony Abbott has dismissed as 'deeply, deeply unsatisfactory' the Russian response to the MH17 disaster.

Pro Russian separatists are being blamed for firing a Russian built surface-to-air missile to bring down MH17 in eastern Ukraine

Evidence is growing that a surface-to-air missile brought down a Malaysia Airlines flight that has crashed in Ukraine killing all on board.

Did Russia make changes to a Wikipedia post? Source: Supplied

• Malaysia Airlines plane shot down over eastern Ukraine
• Surface-to-air missile used
• 27 Australians were among the 298 on board
• Pro-Russian separatists blamed, but have denied attack
• The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur

THE Russian government has allegedly been busted editing a Wikipedia entry on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster to blame Ukraine.

A Twitter bot which monitors edits made on the site by Russian government IP addresses picked up the changes which were made on a page listing civil aviation accidents, the UK's Telegraph reported.

The original entry stated that the plane was shot down "by terrorists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic with Buk system missiles, which the terrorists received from the Russian Federation".

It was changed to read: "the plane [flight MH17] was shot down by Ukrainian soldiers".

The Twitter bot issued this alert:

It translates to: "Wikipedia article List of aircraft accidents in civil aviation has been edited by RTR [another name for VGTRK]".

'Security zone' agreed upon

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels have agreed to set up a security zone around the crash site, Ukraine's security service chief said.

Internationally mediated talks "concluded with an agreement to set up a 20-kilometre security zone so that Ukraine could fulfil the most important thing — identify the bodies (and) hand them over to relatives," Ukrainian Security Service head Valentyn Nalyvaychenko said in televised remarks.

'Justice for the dead and living'

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told of the difficulty of investigations into the downed MH17 flight, saying it will be weeks before there are answers for the victims' families.

He said Australian officials have been deployed to the region.

"Yesterday we saw the smouldering wreckage on our screens, today we have seen some of the faces of the dead," he said.

"As a nation we need to prepare ourselves for difficult and painful weeks ahead as we strive to find out precisely what has happened and who is responsible.

"My aim is to get justice for Australia, in particular to get justice for the dead and the living. The only way to get justice is if there is a thorough investigation and that means getting access to the site as swiftly as possible ... it's imperative that the site is made available to investigators without molestation and hindrance as fast as possible."

Abbott said the area is controlled by rebels and "bodies remain strewn over the fields of Eastern Ukraine".

He emphasised just how dangerous the situation is.

"Overnight, a monitoring mission from the organisation for the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe did gain temporary access but it was driven off by gunfire presumably from the Russian-backed rebels.

"This does highlight though the difficulty and danger of this mission."

Attempts to contact the Russian government have been unsuccessful so far.

The Ukraine government had said it would give Australia all the support it needed to access the site to retrieve bodies and protect evidence.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will be heading to the US to champion Australia's campaign at the UN Security Council for an independent comprehensive international investigation with access to the site, debris, black box and any possible witnesses.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have deployed six officers to Kiev and more are on their way, including a five-member emergency response team. Australian Federal Police investigators are also on their way, and more are ready to be deployed as the situation develops.

Contingency arrangements have been put in place to repatriate the bodies, he added.

"Although I must caution this is likely to be weeks, rather than days ahead."

Ms Bishop noted that for the investigation to proceed, a cease fire around the crash site would be required.

Qantas and Virgin have offered their support for any Australians travelling to the site.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Source: Getty Images

Meanwhile, the Government doesn't want the MH17 disaster to distract from its G20 agenda despite growing pressure for Australia to bar Russia from attending the forum later this year.

The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has overshadowed the opening of the G20 trade ministers meeting in Sydney on Saturday, where top officials from the world's 20 richest nations including Russia have gathered to discuss economic growth.

Treasurer Joe Hockey said there was a "steely determination" to find out who was responsible for the disaster but also not to allow it to distract from the task facing G20 ministers.

"There's no doubt the events are tragic, just tragic," Mr Hockey said in Sydney ahead of the G20 meeting.

"But we have to move on with the world, bring those people to justice that were responsible for that horrendous act, but also not allow it to distract us from the challenge of creating a world that has greater prosperity and freedom."

Nearly 300 people — including 28 Australians — were killed when MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border. Suspicion has fallen on Russian-backed rebels, prompting calls for Moscow to be punished with trade sanctions.

Trade Minister Andrew Robb, who met with his Russian counterpart Alexey Ulyukaev ahead of chairing the G20 meeting, didn't rule out the prospect of trade sanctions if Russia didn't play ball.

"These are things we need to consider in the goodness of time," Mr Robb said.

"It is a matter of how Russia responds, co-operates and is proactive in seeking answers."

Malaysian prime minister's grief

The step-grandmother of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was on board MH17, the country's defence minister confirmed.

Hishammuddin Hussein, a cousin of Najib's, said 83-year-old Siti Amirah was "on the flight". Siti Amirah was also Hishammuddin's step-grandmother.

"Pls pray 4 her," he wrote on his Twitter feed above a photo of her in an Islamic headscarf.

The defence minister's tweet today confirmed an earlier report in the Star newspaper that said Siti Amirah had embarked alone in Amsterdam on board flight MH17 en route to the Indonesian city of Jogjakarta.

She was scheduled to transit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Bizarre account

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 pro-rebel website Russkaya Vesna quoted Igor Girkin as saying he was told by people at the crash site that "a significant number of the bodies weren't fresh," adding that he was told they were drained of blood and reeked of decomposition.

Air travel warning

Pilots and aircraft operators are being warned by the Australian aviation regulator to avoid flying over eastern Ukraine, following similar advice from US and European air safety agencies.

No Australian planes are presently scheduled to fly above eastern Ukraine where MH17 was shot down by a suspected surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board.

"Australian air operators and pilots considering operations in eastern European airspace (should) take into account all available safety notices and bulletins regarding flights in the Ukraine region," the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said.

"Particular attention should be given to notices issued by the United States Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency." US aircraft have been prohibited by the country's Federal Aviation Administration from flying above parts of eastern Ukraine. "The restricted area includes the entire Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk ... regions," the FAA said.

"This action expands a prohibition of US flight operations issued by the FAA in April, over the Crimean region of Ukraine and adjacent areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov."

First photo of pilot

Details of the pilots of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have been revealed.

The plane with 298 people on board, including at least 28 Australians, was downed about 12.15am Sydney time yesterday.

The flight MH17, a Boeing 777-200, was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur but was shot down in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.

The two captains on the plane were Eugene Choo Jin Leong, 45, and Wan Amran Wan Hussin, 50, according to a list.

A photograph of Leong shows him alongside a motorbike. A family member of Leong's, who did not want to be named, confirmed that he was on board the plane. Meanwhile, Captain Wan Amran Wan Hussin's wife reportedly told the New Straits Times that he had contacted her minutes before he boarded the flight.

The mother-of-two was shocked to learn what had happened when she randomly checked her phone.

"I had just finished my prayers and decided to checked my handphone as the battery had earlier gone flat.

"I was shocked to see a message from my children's ustaz (religious teacher) informing me that a Malaysia Airlines plane had crashed.

"I was taken aback and immediately switched on the television to see what was going on."

Pilot: Eugene Choo Jin Leong was flying Malaysia airlines MH17 when it was shot down Source: Supplied

Nationalities of victims

Malaysia Airlines has released a new list of the nationalities of passengers who lost their lives on MH17. It lists 27 Australian lives lost — while the number according to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is 28, including a dual-citizen.

• Netherlands: 189

• Malaysia: 44

• Australia: 27

• Indonesia: 12

• UK: 9

• Belgium: 4

• Germany: 4

• Philippines: 3

• Canada: 1

• New Zealand: 1

Four passengers' nationalities have not yet been verified.

The full list of names have been released in the flight manifesto.

Day of mourning

Several hundred members of an exclusive Sydney school community have gathered at a church in the city's east to hold a special mass for a much-loved teacher killed in the MH17 attack.

Sydney nun Sister Philomene Tiernan was on board the Malaysia Airlines flight

Sister Philomene worked for more than 30 years as a teacher and director of boarding at Catholic school Kincoppal-Rose Bay and was remembered fondly by students yesterday.

"The impact of this is just unbelievable in the whole community," a year 12 student who did not want to be named said. On a cold Saturday morning several nuns, students and their parents and associates of the school arrived at Saint Mary Magdalene church in Rose Bay for a special mass.

Parish Priest Monsignor Tony Doherty said the special prayer service, which began at 9am, would "focus our grief and loss of such an extraordinary woman."

Sister Philomene Tiernan, aged 77, was a passenger on Malaysian Airline Flight MH17. Source: Supplied

People leave the church after Sister Philomene Tiernan's memorial. Picture: Damian Shaw Source: News Corp Australia

The world has been rocked by the tragedy, with people attending a range of memorial sites.

Floral tributes are seen for Sunbury (Victoria) couple Albert Rizk and his wife Marie Rizk. Source: Getty Images

Melburnians begin to leave floral tributes to those lost aboard MH17. Source: News Corp Australia

A visitor places flowers at a temporary memorial for the victims in Berlin. Source: Getty Images

A candle burns next to flowers at the entrance to Schiphol Airport. Source: Getty Images

'Ban Putin from G20'

Australia should consider uninviting Russian President Vladimir Putin from the Brisbane G20 meeting over his government's "reckless and stupid" actions leading up to the MH17 disaster, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says.

Mr Shorten said he was fully supportive of the Australian government's strong stance over the apparent downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

"For an outside nation to have supplied these Ukrainian rebels with this weaponry of war and murder is a very, very reckless and stupid act," he told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday.

"It is in the interests of resolving what has happened that all of the great powers, including the Russian Federation, support what was said at the United Nations Security Council last night." The council called for a thorough investigation of the crash. Mr Shorten said the Australian government should consider barring Mr Putin from the upcoming G20 meeting in Brisbane if the country did not support the investigation.

"If the Russian Federation will not co-operate to help resolve and get to the heart of what has happened here, I don't think Australians would welcome them coming to the G20," he said.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Source: News Corp Australia

Royal condolences

Prince William has expressed his sympathy for all those affected by the disaster, noting in particular the impact on Australians.

Speaking at Australia House in London, the Duke of Cambridge spoke of his great sadness.

"For all of us who have lost fellow countrymen and women in the tragedy, words cannot do justice to our sense of loss," he said. "For Australians, for our Malaysian brothers and sisters in the Commonwealth, the crash is a particularly cruel tragedy, coming so soon after the loss of MH370." He said his family's thoughts and prayers were with everyone affected.

The Duke was at Australia House to unveil a statue of Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate Australia.

Australian High Commissioner to London Alexander Downer also spoke about the tragedy, asking for a moment's silence for those killed.

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his brother Prince Harry. Source: AFP

Obama speaks out

US President Barack Obama has sent his condolences to the families of victims. He has also paid tribute to AIDS researchers and activists who were bound for an international conference in Melbourne.

The president phoned Prime Minister Tony Abbott to discuss the tragedy.

"The president expressed condolences on behalf of the American people to the Australian families who lost loved ones on board the flight," a statement from the White House said today.

US President Barack Obama addresses the plane crash of flight MH17. Source: AFP

Death toll

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has warned the Australian death toll may still rise as investigators work to uncover the identities of 41 victims of the MH17 disaster who are not yet accounted for.

Speaking on Sky News last night, Ms Bishop also confirmed a 28th Australian death is that of a dual citizen.

The Foreign Minister has issued a stark warning to Russia as it becomes increasingly clear that pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine are responsible for bringing down the jet.

Using language that is more direct than is custom in international relations, Ms Bishop made it clear Australia would use its position on the United Nations Security Council to push for an international investigation and warned Russia not to stand in the way.

"Russia has a crucial role to play in all of this. If, as Russia claims, Ukraine is responsible for this, I expect Russia to support a thorough investigation", she said.

Ms Bishop's words were backed by the UN Security Council, which passed a unanimous motion calling for a full and thorough investigation.

"The members of the Security Council called for a full, thorough and independent international investigation into the incident in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines and for appropriate accountability," the council said in a unanimous declaration.

The UN statement expressed the council's "deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims, and to the people and governments of all those killed in the crash."

Council members stood in a moment of silent tribute to the 298 victims at the start of an emergency council meeting. The council called for an investigation "in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines and for appropriate accountability."

It stressed the need for "immediate access by investigators to the crash site to determine the cause of the incident."

Ms Bishop also said she had been unable to get in touch with her Russian counterpart, who is on holidays, and was told by the Russians she could not speak to a more junior representative.

The comments came after Prime Minister Tony Abbott earlier condemned the initial response of the Russian Ambassador to the MH17 disaster.

Julie Bishop following her meeting with the Russian Ambassador Vladimir Morozov. Source: AFP

Mr Abbott said it was "highly probable" MH17 was "shot down" by what appeared to be a Russian-backed rebel missile.

Yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister revealed the first response from the Russian Ambassador was to blame Ukraine forces for the tragedy — a response he called "deeply, deeply unsatisfactory".

The ambassador had been summoned to speak in Sydney with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who was seeking assurances Russia would co-operate with investigators and Australia would get access to the crash site.

Mr Abbott repeated his statement made in Parliament that the disaster was a crime and not an accident.

Rescue crews walk through the crash site. Source: AP

Australia was working for a binding UN Security Council resolution to secure an independent international investigation, he said.

"It's very important that we don't allow Russia to prevent an absolutely comprehensive investigation."

Mr Abbott said Australia was eager to take a leading role in the investigation, given the high number of Australians killed.

"These people were innocent people going about their lives ... And they have been killed by Russian-backed rebels ... Possibly with Russian supplied missiles."

He had strong words for those that supplied the rebels with the missile.

"Anyone who gave such a weapon to people who were absolutely incapable of using it ... Should feel a sense of shame."

He said Russia's involvement would be a test for that country. "There can be no excuses, no buck passing."

Mr Abbott said there would be a national day of mourning and ordered flags at government buildings to be flown at half-mast tomorrow.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said anyone with concerns for friends or family can call the hotline on 1300 555 135.

People search for bodies near the wreckage of Flight MH17 Source: AFP

THE VICTIMS

Malaysia Airlines says there were 298 people on board, not 295 as originally stated. At least 28 of the victims are Australian.

Among the dead are Victorian couple Albert and Marie Rizk, who are believed to have missed an earlier flight and ended up on MH17.

Mr Rizk, a local real estate agent, and his wife, who have two children, were due to return home from Europe today after spending a month abroad on holidays.

Other victims are 27-year-old Melbourne student Elaine Teoh, Sister Philomene Tiernan — a teacher at eastern Sydney's Catholic girls' school — and Perth management consultant Nick Norris, who was travelling with his grandchildren.

Denis Napthine, the Premier of Victoria, said it was likely there were permanent residents of Australia travelling on other passports who were also killed in the crash.

Albert Rizk (on left) and wife Marie (third from left) the couple believed to be on flight MH-17. Source: Supplied

The airline confirmed that those on board included 28 Australians, as well as 154 Dutch, 43 Malaysians, 12 Indonesian (including one infant), nine from the UK, four German, four Beligum, three Filipinos, one Canadian. The nationalities of 41 others on the plane were still unknown.

RELATED: The lives lost on MH17

RELATED: Passenger's tragic last words

RELATED: The families that should have been on MH17

Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shown smouldering in a field July 17, 2014 in Grabovo, Ukraine near the Russian border. Source: Getty Images

REACTION

Government minister Ian MacFarlane has played down the possibility that Vladimir Putin could be excluded from the G20 summit in Brisbane in November.

"It's not a security forum and therefore while we need to be mindful that an investigation does have to take place and we do have to obviously see exactly what's happened here, in terms of the G20, it is an economic forum not a security forum."

In the US, Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state, and possible presidential candidate, said in a television interview that indications pointed to Russian-backed side and action was needed to "put [Vladimir] Putin on notice that he has gone too far and we are not going to stand idly by".

"The questions I'd be asking is, number one, who could have shot it down? Who had the equipment? It's obviously an anti-aircraft missile. Who could have had the expertise to do that? Because commercial airlines are big targets, but by the time they got over that part of Ukraine they should have been high, so it takes some planning [to target such a plane].

"And the Ukrainian government has been quick to blame it on terrorists, which is their name for the Russian insurgents. And there does seem to be some growing awareness that it probably had to be Russian insurgents."

A firefighter stands among the wreckage. DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

AIDS CONFERENCE

One of those on board was HIV researcher Joep Lange, who was on his way to Melbourne from the Netherlands to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference, AIDS2014.

As many as 100 of the passengers were thought to be headed to Melbourne for the conference. Organisers have confirmed it will go ahead as planned

"The International AIDS Society (IAS) today expresses its sincere sadness at receiving news that a number of colleagues and friends en route to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference taking place in Melbourne, Australia, were on board the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight that has crashed over Ukraine earlier today," a statement from the International AIDS Society said.

"At this incredibly sad and sensitive time the IAS stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost to this tragedy."

The event is to be held in Melbourne from July 20-25.

People stand next to the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines flight. AFP PHOTO/DOMINIQUE FAGET Source: AFP

Australian passport found at Malaysia Airlines wreckage site. Photo: Live Leak Source: Supplied

Earlier, Ukraine's Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko was quoted as saying the plane had been shot down by a ground-to-air missile.

According to CNN senior US officials have concluded the plane was shot down but were divided over the origin.

"One radar system saw a surface-to-air missile system turn on and track an aircraft right before the plane went down Thursday," CNN is reporting.

A second system saw a heat signature at the time the airliner was hit.

RELATED: Russian rebels 'likely responsible'

RELATED: Warnings ignored on Ukraine's airspace

INTERCEPTED PHONE CALLS

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reportedly released recordings of intercepted phone calls between Russian military intelligence officers and members of terrorist groups that took place about 20 minutes after the crash.

One call was apparently made by Igor Bezler, who the SBU says is a Russian military intelligence officer and leading commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Igor Bezler: "We have just shot down a plane. Group Minera. It fell down beyond Yenakievo (Donetsk Oblast)."

Vasili Geranin, a colonel in the main intelligence department Russian Federation armed forces then asks: "Pilots. Where are the pilots?"

Bezler replies: "Gone to search for and photograph the plane. Its smoking."

An audio recording purports to show Ukrainian separatists admit to downing passenger jet, MH17. Courtesy Security Service of Ukraine/YouTube

A second call was between militants nicknamed "Major" and "Greek" about 40 minutes later.

"It's 100 per cent a passenger (civilian) aircraft," Major is recorded as admitting that he had seen no weapons on site. "Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper."

Australian Federal MP Christopher Pyne said there was no doubt that the plane was shot out of the sky. But Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that at this stage it had been unable to verify the cause of the tragedy.

Earlier Mr Gerashchenko told the Wall Street Journal pro-Russia rebels had set up a ground-to-missile battery near the Russian border by the town of Snizhne.

"They clearly thought that it was a military transport plane that they were shooting at," he said. "They were the ones who did this."

Wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 298 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Picture: AFP / DOMINIQUE FAGET Source: AFP

WHAT HAPPENED?

The plane appeared to have broken up before hitting the ground, and the burning wreckage — which included body parts and the belongings of passengers — was scattered over a wide area.

It came down near the town of Shaktarsk, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, and shocking photos of bodies among the wreckage have been posted on Twitter.

Amateur video shows smoke from a Malaysian passenger plane that crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all onboard including 23 U.S. citizens. Deborah Gembara reports.

"Malaysia Airlines confirms it received notification from Ukrainian ATC that it had lost contact with flight MH17 at 1415 (GMT) at 30km from Tamak waypoint, approximately 50km from the Russia-Ukraine border," the carrier said in a statement on Facebook.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called the downing an act of terrorism and called for an international investigation into the crash.

Some are blaming Russia for allegedly supporting the separatists but a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said allegations that Russia had been involved in the incident was "stupidity".

Ukrainian woman lies down in front of Dutch embassy holding a poster reading "Putin is a killer". AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov Source: AP

Mr Putin has blamed Ukraine for the crash, "Undoubtedly, the government in whose air space this happened bears responsibility for this terrible tragedy," a Kremlin statement says.

Putin reportedly opened a meeting with his economic advisers by calling for a moment of silence over the crash.

"This tragedy would not have happened if there were peace on this land, if the military actions had not been renewed in southeast Ukraine. And, certainly, the state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility for this awful tragedy," he said, according to the statement.

The village of Grabovo is currently under the control of the separatists and the area has seen severe fighting between the two sides in recent days.

A man stands next to the wreckage of the Malaysian Airlines plane. Picture: AFP / DOMINIQUE FAGET Source: AFP

SEPARATIST MOVEMENT

Ukraine is a country in crisis. The region where MH17 went down has seen severe fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists in recent days. Ukraine has been in crisis ever since pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was driven from office in February by a protest movement among citizens wanting closer ties with the European Union. Russia later annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine, and pro-Russians separatists in the country's eastern regions began occupying government buildings and pressing for independence. Moscow denies Western charges it is supporting the separatists or sowing unrest.

Wreckage near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine. Picture: AFP / DOMINIQUE FAGET Source: AFP

Luggage on the site of the crash of the crash. Picture: AFP /DOMINIQUE FAGET Source: AFP

Flames among the wreckage. Picture: AFP / DOMINIQUE FAGET Source: AFP

SEPARATISTS BLAMED

In a statement, Mr Poroshenko said the plane "disappeared from radar screens".

"In recent days, this is the third tragic accident after the Russian territory were downed aircraft AN-26 and SU-25 Armed Forces of Ukraine. We do not exclude that this aircraft was also shot down, and stress that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not commit any action to defeat the purposes of the air," Mr Poroshenko added.

A defence expert told the BBC that shooting down a plane at that height would have required a long-range surface-to-air missile — possibly guided by radar.

Oleg Tsarev, one of the leaders of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic, told Time that the rebels did not shoot down the plane.

"We don't have weapons that can take down a plane from that altitude," he said, minutes after news of the crash broke.

But there are reports that rebels did have an anti-aircraft military station and the Russian state media even congratulated the rebels on their new Russian-made Buk missile launchers seized from a Ukrainian air force base.

"The Donetsk resistance fighters have captured an anti-aircraft military station," the Kremlin's main television network Vesti announced three weeks ago.

Since then there have been regular downings of Ukrainian aircraft including an AN-26 military transport plane, which was shot down on Monday. Its four crew members were taken hostage after they ejected from the aircraft, rebels later confirmed.

According to The Telegraph, the DPR also posted a Twitter picture of a missile system that it captured when it overran a Ukrainian army garrison on June 29.

A spokesman told Voice of Russia radio at the time: "The forces of the Donetsk People's Republic assumed control of A-1402 (regiment's) military base" and boasted of capturing the Buk launcher.

Ukrainian government forces manoeuvre a Buk anti-aircraft missile launcher. Picture: AP / Dmitry Lovetsky Source: AP

A similar weapon was reportedly seen by an Associated Press journalist on Thursday in Snizhne.

As news spread of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight, the separatists deleted the Twitter photo of the captured missile system.

A raft of global airlines, including Air France, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, swiftly responded to the disaster by saying they had been avoiding airspace over eastern Ukraine due to safety concerns.

Qantas has confirmed that it has not flown the route across the Ukraine in recent months because it recognised the risks presented by the separatist conflict, during which the aircraft were being shot down.

They were further advised on Thursday to avoid Ukraine's airspace

In France, a statement by junior transport minister Frederic Cuvillier said he had advised "French airlines to avoid Ukraine's air space as long as the reasons behind this catastrophe are not known."

FLIGHT PATH

Flight MH17 departed Amsterdam at 12:15pm (Amsterdam local time, 8:15pm AEDT) on Thursday and was scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 6:10am (Malaysia local time, 8:10am AEDT) the next day.

A Malaysian official tonight told a news conference the flight path was approved by the International Civilian Aviation Organisation and was in unrestricted airspace.

The plane disappeared from radar when flying at 10,000 metres cruising altitude, Interfa-Ukraine reports.

The Daily Beast reported the plane's "black box" was on its way to Moscow for "investigation".

But the head of Ukrainian Emergency Situations has since reportedly claimed that search efforts at the scene are being hampered by "armed terrorists".

In response to the disaster Thai Airways said its flights to Europe have been rerouted to avoid Ukrainian airspace.

The company didn't say when the route changes were made effective or how many flights were affected.

America's FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has also banned US flights from entering the airspace of eastern Ukraine. Via Mashable.

"The FAA has made official what most airlines were already doing: American flights are barred from entering the airspace of eastern Ukraine "until further notice," the agency says. Flights were already officially barred from Crimea and surrounding areas."

The crash comes just four months after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which remains missing.

Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak said he was "shocked" by the reports. "We are launching an immediate investigation," he said.

The Kremlin said US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had discussed the crash over the phone.

He said US would offer any assistance it could to determine what happened.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the passengers, wherever they call home."

A statement from the White House said there needed to be a "full, credible and unimpeded" investigation and urged all concerned — Russia, pro-Russians separatists and the Ukraine — to agree to an immediate ceasefire so investigators could gain access to the crash site.

Malaysia Airlines shot down on Ukraine-Russia border. In this Press Association graphic the earlier figure of 295 was given before the airline revised the figure to 298. Source: Supplied

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