Malaysian plane carrying 295 HIV/AIDS research experts shot down in Ukraine killing all passengers on board [PHOTOS]

A Malaysian airlines plane was shot down yesterday on the Russian-Ukraine border, killing all 295 people on board.

According to a Ukrainian interior ministry official, Flight MH17 which was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew en route from Amsterdam Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was believed to have been shot down by a surface to air missile after taking off at lunchtime yesterday.


The Interfax news agency reported that the aircraft went missing near Donetsk, where pro-Russian rebels have been fighting Ukrainian government forces.
Pictures of the scene showed a pall of smoke billowing into the sky apparently from the stricken aircraft. Witnesses say body parts are scattered over a distance of 15km, suggesting the plane broke up in mid-air. It is believed that the plane was struck by a BUK surface-to-air missile at 33,000ft around 20 miles before entering Russian airspace.