Malaysian airliner downed in Ukraine

Wreckages of the Malaysian airliner carrying 298 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine.( AFP photo)

Malaysian youths gather during a candlelight vigil for the killed passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. (EPA photo)

The Malaysian national flag (R) flies at half-staff at the Malaysian embassy in The Hague. (Reuters photo)

Ukrainian coal miners search the site of the crashed Malaysia Airlines passenger plane near the village of Rozsypne, Ukraine, eastern Ukraine. Rescue workers, policemen and off-duty coal miners were combing a sprawling area in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border where the Malaysian plane was shot down, killing all 298 on board. (AP photo)

This recent picture released by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows Glenn Thomas, a WHO's spokesperson, who died when the Malaysian Airlines plane crashed in Ukraine the day before, heading to the 20th International Aids Conference in Melbourne. (AFP photo)

Members of the United Nations security council observe a moment of silence for the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. World leaders demanded an international investigation into the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight with 298 people on board over eastern Ukraine. (Reuters photo)

Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin pauses during a moment of silence for the victims of the downed Malaysian Airlines passenger jet during an emergency session of the United Nations (UN) security council to discuss the shooting down of the jet over eastern Ukraine on Friday in New York City. There are growing calls for sanctions against Russia as the security council is briefed by the UN political affairs chief. Investigators are working to determine if Russian-backed Ukrainian separatist rebels were responsible for bringing down flight MH17. (AFP photo)

Huib Gorter (L), regional senior vice-president of continental Europe of Malaysia Airlines speaks during a press conference at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands. (EPA photo)

Malaysian children hold flowers and placards during a candlelight vigil for the killed passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. (EPA photo)

People lay flowers and light candles in front of the embassy of the Netherlands in Kiev, a day after the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in eastern Ukraine. (AFP photo)

Flowers are placed outside Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (AP photo)

A condolence book is seen on a table outside the departure hall, in the wake of the downed Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, at Schiphol Airport, Netherlands. (Reuters photo)

Relatives of passengers of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 get onto a bus at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, the Netherlands, headed for an unkown destination after they received additional information about the Malaysia Airlines plane traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that crashed near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine. (AFP photo)

Campbell Dalziel, brother of South African helicopter pilot Cameron Dalziel, one of the victims among the 298 passengers of the Malaysian flight MH17, meets South African media as he walks down the Sea Promenade in Umhlanga, Durban. (AFP photo)

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte (C) speaks, as he is flanked by Netherlands foreign minister Frans Timmermans (R) and justice minister Ivo Opstelten (L) at The Hague. World leaders called for a rapid investigation into the shooting down of the Malaysian Boeing 777 over eastern Ukraine and justice for nearly 300 deaths that could mark a pivotal moment in deteriorating relations between Russia and the West. (Reuters photo)

The Malaysian airliner was shot down over Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile but it was not clear who fired the weapon, US officials told AFP. (AFP photo)

Intelligence analysts are reviewing data to determine whether the weapon was launched by pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine, Russian troops across the border or Ukrainian government forces, said two US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. (AFP photo)

The scale of the disaster affecting scores of foreigners could prove a turning point for international pressure to resolve a crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives in Ukraine since pro-western protests toppled the Moscow-backed president in Kiev in February and Russia annexed Crimea a month later.(AFP photo)

Malaysia Airlines said air traffic controllers lost contact with flight MH17 at 1415 GMT as it flew over eastern Ukraine towards the Russian border, bound for Asia with 280 passengers and 15 crew aboard. Flight tracking data indicated it was at its cruising altitude of 33,000 feet when it disappeared.(Reuters photo)

Several Ukrainian planes and helicopters have been shot down in four months of fighting in the area. Ukraine had said an An-26 was shot down on Monday and one of its Sukhoi Su-25 fighters was downed on Wednesday by an air-to-air missile.( AFP photo)