Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, may have been shot down over eastern Ukraine.
The region has been the scene of fierce battles between pro-Russian rebels and pro-government forces.
The Boeing passenger liner came down close to town of Shaktarsk in the rebellion-wracked region of Donetsk after disappearing from the radar and teams from the emergency services were trying to reach the scene, an unnamed security source told Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
A Ukrainian interior minister was quoted in local media as saying that the airliner was shot down.
“Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam,” the airline, still reeling from the disappearance of flight MH370, said on its Twitter account.
“The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace,” it said, adding that it would provide more details soon.
Below, an alleged video of the crash site shared by a Youtuber in Ukraine shows large plumes of black smoke rising from a field.
This story is developing.
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