Malaysia Airlines Jet Crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines confirmed on its Facebook page that Ukrainian air traffic control lost contact with flight MH17 about 30 miles from the Russian-Ukraine border. The airlines said the plane was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members.

Dozens of bodies are scattered around what is believed to be the wreckage of the jet near the village of Grabovo, a Reuters correspondent reports.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a tweet that he was "shocked" by the reports of the crash and was launching an investigation into the incident.

The regional government in Donetsk, which is controlled by armed pro-Russian separatists, said its forces control the area around the crash site.

Unconfirmed videos on YouTube show smoke in Ukraine near the Russian border, where the plane reportedly went down.

Anton Gerashenko, the adviser, says on his Facebook page the plane was flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet when it was hit Thursday by a missile fired from a BUK launcher, the Associated Press reports.

A similar launcher was seen by AP journalists near the eastern Ukrainian town of Snizhne earlier Thursday.

Ukraine's president, separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine and Russian military officials all denied responsibility for the apparent shootdown.

Russian President Vladimir Putin brought up early reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border in a phone call with President Obama Thursday morning, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

Earnest said Obama "has directed his team to be in close touch with senior Ukrainian officials on this matter."

BUK, also known as SA-17 GRIZZLY, is a mobile anti-aircraft system mounted usually on a tracked vehicle or truck that can simultaneously track and strike six targets flying from different directions and at different altitudes, according to military think tank Globalsecurity.org.

It was not immediately clear who would have been in control of such a launcher in the restive area where Ukrainian forces are battling ethnic Russian separatists.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said his country's armed forces didn't shoot at any airborne targets."We do not exclude that this plane was shot down, and we stress that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not take action against any airborne targets," he said. "We are sure that those who are guilty in this tragedy will be held responsible."

A separatist leader in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, confirmed that the plane crashed in the area, but denied that rebel forces had the capability to shoot down a plane at such an altitude.

Alexander Boroday, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk, called the incident a provocation the Ukrainian military, the Russian Interfax news agency reports.

"We confirm that the plane crashed not far from Donetsk," Boroday said. "Representatives of Donetsk People's Republic have headed to the scene of the plane search."

"Self-defense forces have no air-defense, which could target transport aircraft at that height," he told Interfax.

Russia's military also says none of its military planes have been flying close to the Russia-Ukraine border on Thursday, RIA Novosti reported citing an unidentified military official.

The incident comes one day after a Russian military plane reportedly shot down a Ukrainian jet fighter over Ukrainian territory, forcing the pilot to eject, according to the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman.

Andriy Lysenko told reporters Thursday that the "provocation" took place Wednesday evening. He said the pilot of the Su-25 assault aircraft was not injured and was rescued by Ukrainian military units.

"A military plane of the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile strike against a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which performed tasks on Ukrainian territory," Lysenko said, according to the Ukrinform news agency. "Our plane was shot down."

Pro-Russia rebels, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for strikes Wednesday on two Ukrainian Sukhoi-25 jets. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the second jet was hit by a portable surface-to-air missile, but added the pilot was unscathed and managed to land his plane safely.