World in shock as Malaysian plane crashes over Ukraine

World in shock as Malaysian plane crashes over Ukraine

KIEV -- None of the 298 passengers and crew of a Malaysian passenger plane that crashed in eastern Ukraine survived, and the world is in shock over the tragedy.

The Malaysia Airlines aircraft fell over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, about 60 kilometers from the border with Russia. Of the 298 people on board, 154 were citizens of the Netherlands.

The Ukrainian authorities referred to the accident as "a terrorist act" and accused the pro-Russian forces of bringing down the plane "using the anti-aircraft system BUK which Russia gave them."

But the pro-Russian forces said they did not have missiles that would reach a plane at that altitude, and instead accused the Ukrainian army. They also announced that the "black box" had been recovered, and offered a temporary truce in order to enable the crash site to be investigated.

Talks are ongoing between the pro-Russian forces and the government of Kiev to allow international organizations access to the site, the premier self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk, Aleksandr Boraday, has confirmed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian authorities were responsible for the crash, saying the tragedy would not have happened had Kiev not launched a military offensive in the east of the country.

In the meantime, the United Kingdom has requested an urgent meeting of the Security Council of the United Nations to address the crisis in Ukraine.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that "there is a clear need for a full and transparent international investigation" into the crash of the Malaysian aircraft, and a session of the council was called for Friday.

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