Malaysian plane crashes in Ukraine, 298 feared dead

Smoke rises at the crash site of MH17 near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine.

July 17, 2014

Last updated: 8:09 p.m. EDT– The United Nations will hold an emergency meeting Friday about the Malaysia airline crash, according to CCTV’s Liling Tan at the organization’s headquarters in New York.
MH17 crashed in an area rife with fighting between Ukrainian troops and separatists. According to the AP, the separatists will allow up to three days of ceasefire in eastern Ukraine for recovery work.
According to a Malaysia Airlines statement, a total of 298 passengers were on board the plane, including three infants, with breakdown as follows:

Netherlands 154
Malaysia 45 (including 15 crew, 2 infants)
Australia 27
Indonesia 12 (including 1 infant)
United Kingdom 9
Germany 4
Belgium 4
Philippines 3
Canada 1
Unverified 41

Reuters reports the wreckage area is about 15 km (nine miles) in diameter, according to an emergency services rescue worker.

PICTURES OF THE CRASH SITE