Malaysia airliner crashes in east Ukraine

A Malaysian airliner reportedly carrying 295 passengers has crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border. The plane was on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Malaysia Airlines said it had lost contact with Flight MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukraine.

An aviation source in Moscow told Reuters the plane had been found burning on the ground in east Ukraine. Separatist rebels have been fighting government forces in the region.

Missiles have shot down a number of Ukrainian military planes in recent weeks, with Ukraine accusing Russia’s military of supplying advanced missiles to the rebels.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian officials accused the Russian air force of shooting down one of its ground attack jets on Wednesday.

The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports of the crash and was “urgently working to establish what happened.”