A Malaysian airliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, which has seen heavy fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists. A Ukrainian interior ministry official, Anton Gerashchenko, said the airliner, was hit by a ground-to-air missile. The plane, a Boeing 777, was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members.
Malaysian Airliner Crashes in Eastern Ukraine
![Long-tailed macaques eat fruits from a plate held by festival organizer Yongyuth Kitwattananusorn during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival at the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, north of Bangkok, Thailand.](https://gdb.voanews.com/B7AA8E3F-A51E-4DCD-8183-4BE50D8E8E28_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Long-tailed macaques eat fruits from a plate held by festival organizer Yongyuth Kitwattananusorn during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival at the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, north of Bangkok, Thailand.
![Flowers are placed on a plane engine at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, July 19, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/3DCFB015-D13D-433F-A24A-A5D805758A97_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Flowers are placed on a plane engine at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, July 19, 2014.
![A pro-Russian fighter guards the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, July 19, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/F0F6AFD4-56CA-40F4-9750-B45CE78258EB_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A pro-Russian fighter guards the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, July 19, 2014.
![A woman holds an anti-Putin placard to protest the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in Sydney, Australia, July 19, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/8E2D5D35-46AC-450A-99BC-3A26C40E76A5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman holds an anti-Putin placard to protest the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in Sydney, Australia, July 19, 2014.