Malaysia Airlines Passenger Plane MH17 Shot Down in Ukraine near Russian border [Exclusive Photos]

Almost 300 people have died including reportedly, nine Britons, after a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was apparently shot down near the Russia – Ukraine border.

Flight MH17 – a Boeing 777-200ER travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur – was in transit over the war-torn region when it disappeared from radar screens.

All 295 people onboard, including 280 passengers and 15 crew members, are believed to have perished.

Graphic images and footage showed a pall of smoke, charred wreckage and bodies at the crash scene in the rebel-held eastern Ukraine village of Grabovo.

The downing of Flight MH17

‘IN CASE IT DISAPPEARS’: HAUNTING FACEBOOK PICTURE OF DOOMED MH17 PASSENGER!!!

Transcript that chills the blood as rebels brag about bringing down the plane

Powerful: The BUK surface-to-air missile system (like this one) that is believed to have shot down flight MH17 is an old Soviet-built weapon designed to engage light aircraft, cruise missiles and drones. Designed to take out cruise missiles, aircrafts, helicopters and short range ballistic missiles, they can reach altitudes of up to 15.5miles (82,000 feet), according to the manufacturer’s website.

 

HIJACKINGS, CRASHES AND UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: A TIMELINE OF OTHER  DISASTERS TO HIT MALAYSIA AIRLINES [DailyMail]

December, 4 1977 – Flight MH653 was hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, killing all 100 people on board.

September 15, 1995 – Flight MH2133 touched down too far along the runway at Tawau Airport, Sabah, killing 32 passengers and two crew members.

March 15, 2000 – Flight MH85, travelling to Kuala Lumpur to Beijin, was damaged by the chemical oxalyl chloride, which leaked from canisters during unloading. The Airbus A330-300 was sufficiently damaged to be written-off.

March 8, 2014 – Fight MH370, carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers, went missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport.

The Boeing 777 has still yet to be found, despite months of extensive searches in the southern Indian Ocean where it was believed to have crashed. The next phase of the search is expected to start in August and take a year, covering some 60,000 sq km at a cost of AU$60 million ($56 million) or more.

March 24, 2014 – Flight MH066, travelling from Kuala Lumper to Incheon, South Korea, was forced to make an emergency landing in Hong Kong after its main electricity generator failed.

Passengers onboard the flight later revealed they were told to prepare for an emergency water landing. However, the plane landed safely in Hong Kong in the early hours of the morning.

April 21, 2014 – Flight MH192, carrying 166 people, was forced to turn back to Kuala Lumpur while flying to India after a tyre burst and the right-hand landing gear malfunctioned.  Police later confirmed an investigation had begun into whether the flight had been interfered with before take-off.

April 24, 2014 – A plane belonging to Firefly Airlines (a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines) was forced to return to Penang after suffering problems with its landing gear.

A statement on the company’s website said: ‘This was because the aircraft’s landing gear was unable to retract after being airborne. As safety is of utmost priority to Firefly Airlines, the aircraft was required to turn back to Penang.’

July 17, 2014 – Flight MH17 was shot down on the Russian-Ukraine border, killing all 295 people on board.

Photo Credit: DailyMail