A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777—200ER carrying 280 passengers, including three infants and 15 crew members was shot down on Thursday over a town in the east of the Ukraine. The plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 metres [33,000 feet] when it was hit by a missile fired from a Buk launcher. The east region has seen severe fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatist rebels in recent days.
The organisation that manages air traffic in Europe has advised pilots around the world to avoid the area near the Ukrainian-Russian border where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed. The Buk missile system can fire missiles up to an altitude of 22,000 meters [72,000 feet].
This is second tragic incident for the Malaysian Airlines. Earlier this year a Boeing 777 vanished on its way to China and till date no clue of it was found.
