The Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels on Thursday denied shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane with 295 people on board that crashed over the east of the country near the border with Russia. According to dpa, there are no reports of survivors. Video and photos posted online showed a cloud of black smoke rising from the wreckage of a plane in a field believed to be near the city of Shakhtarsk between Donetsk and the Russian border. Malaysia Airlines said that it lost contact with Flight MH17 at 1415 GMT, about 50 kilometres from the Russia-Ukraine border. The Boeing 777 departed Amsterdam at 12:15 pm and was scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 6:10 am Friday. The plane was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members, the airline said.
