Malaysian Boeing 777 was lost on a way from Holland to Malaysia and carried 280 passengers and 15 members of crew. Ukrainian authorities claims that it was shot down by pro-Russian militants as one of their leaders boasted of destroying the Ukrainian plane exactly in the same area.
The plane was flying over the Donbas region and was lost at 16.20 local time. It crashed near village Snizhne where heavy fights took place, news agency Interfax reports.
The version of the Ukrainian authorities is justified by the information posted by one of separatist militia leaders Igor Girkin aka Strelok (Shooter) on his account in Vkontakte social media:
“Near Thorez (a town in the Donbas region – Belsat) plane An 26 has been shot down, and it lays somewhere near“Progress” coalmine.
We warned them – don’t fly in our sky.
Here’s the footage of another ‘bird’ falling. The bird sank to a dirt pile and didn’t touch the inhabited area. No civilian suffered.
There is more information about plan shooting – probably Su”