In addition to the 23 Americans believed to be aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH37, there were also 154 Dutch, 27 Australians, 23 Malaysians, 6 British, 4 Germans and at least 4 French aboard Malaysia Flight MH17. There were also 11 Indonesians, 4 Belgians, 1 Canadian, 3 Filipinos and the 15 Malaysian crew members on-board. So far, the nationalities of 43 victims on the MH17 flight have not yet been identified.
The nationalities of the victims have been determined as follows: 15 Malaysian crew members, 154 Dutch, 27 Australians, 23 Malaysians, 6 British, 11 Indonesians, 4 Belgians, 1 Canadian, 3 Filipinos, 4 Germans and at least 4 French. The nationalities of 43 victims have not yet been determined.
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| 154 Dutch, 27 Australians, 23 Malaysians, 6 British, 4 Germans at least 4 French aboard Malaysia Flight MH17 |
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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it believed a Russian missile shot down the plane.
“The plane was shot down because the Russian air defense systems was affording protection to Russian mercenaries and terrorists in this area. Ukraine will present the evidence of Russian military involvement into the Boeing crash,” the statement read.
The plane was flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet when it went down in Eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russia separatists denied shooting down a plane, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also stressed in a statement that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not shoot at any airborne targets.
On behalf of the state, Poroshenko called the incident an act of terrorism and expressed “deep and sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of this terrible tragedy.” Russian President Vladimir Putin also tweeted his condolences to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.