Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in Ukraine LIVE UPDATES

A Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in eastern Ukraine. There were 285 people and 15 crew members on board the Boeing-777 aircraft.

Thursday, July 17

19:33 GMT:

The EU has said it is “shocked” by the crash, and called for all sides to determine who is behind it.

“We call for an immediate and thorough investigation into the causes of the crash. The facts and responsibilities need to be established as quickly as possible. The European Union will continue to follow this issue very closely,” said an official communiqué published by Brussels.

19:19 GMT:

Donetsk People’s Republic Prime Minister Aleksandr Boroday has called for a humanitarian ceasefire for 2 to 3 days to investigate the causes of the MH17 crash, RIA news agency reports.
Boroday earlier accused Kiev of shooting down the plane to frame local militias.

19:11 GMT:

Civilian airspace over Ukraine has been closed until further notice, continental air traffic regulator Eurocontrol has announced.

18:38 GMT:

There were at least 71 Dutch citizens aboard the crashed plane, Germany's RTL channel has reported. Previous unconfirmed reports suggested that there were also 23 passengers with US identification and 9 Brits on the flight. French authorities have confirmed that four of their citizens died in the crash.

Eyewitness photo

18:33 GMT:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has cleared up the confusion about whether the space in which MH17 was open to civilian planes.

http://rt.com/news/173628-malaysian-plane-crash-ukraine/

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The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash is seen at the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.(Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev )

Odd coincidents, considering the Malaysian Airlines incident: Passenger Arrested After Bomb Threat on British Airways Flight

(LOS ANGELES) -- A Hawaii man could face up to 20 years in federal prison after authorities said he threatened to kill several flight attendants and claimed to have a bomb while on board a British Airways flight from London to Los Angeles.

FBI agents arrested Kevin Mosele, of Kihei, Hawaii, at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday and charged him with interference with a flight crew, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

According to the arrest affidavit, Mosele, 20, told FBI agents he had several drinks during a nine-hour layover in London before boarding his Los Angeles-bound flight. After he was approached about his behavior about two hours into the flight, Mosele threatened several flight attendants, saying, "I am going to f****** kill you," "I am going to open this door," and "I am going to set off a bomb."

http://goo.gl/xhqTJz

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