Malaysian airliner shot down in Ukraine, 295 dead

Militants shot down a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The aircraft came down near the city of Donetsk, stronghold of pro-Russian rebels, the official, Anton Gerashchenko said. He added that the plane, which other sources said was a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a ground-to-air missile. There was no further confirmation of the report, although Ukrainian officials said local residents had found wreckage, according to a news agency.