18 July 2014

FLIGHT MH17 - Obama's flippant reaction to tragedy shocks, infuriates Netizens


Yahoo Newsroom

8:55am: US President Barack Obama's casual and flippant reaction to the MH17 tragedy has led to a torrent of criticism online.

8:38am: Malaysia Airlines announces that all European flights will avoid their usual routes and use alternative routes. The airline also says it's deploying its 'Go Team' to Amsterdam with a group of caregivers and volunteers to assist the family members of the passengers. Families of passengers and crew may contact +603 7884 1234 (Malaysia) or +31703487770 (Netherlands).

A screen showing arrival details of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (2nd from top) is seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang July 18, 2014. REUTERS/Samsul SaidA screen showing arrival details of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (2nd from top) is seen at Kuala Lumpur International …

8:12am: Among the victims of the MH17 tragedy are a number of AIDS researchers, heading to the AIDS2014 conference in Melbourne. UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe tweeted a message of condolences to their families.

7:50am: Malaysia Airlines has released the latest list of MH17 passengers' nationalities. They are as follows:
Netherlands: 154
Malaysia: 43 (including 15 crew and 2 infants)
Australia: 27
Indonesia: 12 (including 1 infant)
United Kingdom: 9
Germany: 4
Belgium: 4
Philippines: 3
Canada: 1
Unverified: 41
TOTAL: 298

The airline says it is in the process of notifying the passengers' and crew's next-of-kin.
7:46am: Pro-Russian separatists engulfed in the Ukraine war, and accused of bringing down MH17, have arrived at the scene of the crash. Meanwhile, a Putin spokesman says any allegations of Russian involvement is 'stupidity'.
6:38am: The attack on MH17, which has claimed 295 lives, is the worst aviation incident since the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, when 2995 people were killed.

6:29am: TIME reports that Ukraine separatists have denied shooting down MH17, claiming they don't have the firepower to do so. However, in its article, TIME says the separatists recent surface-to-air record suggests otherwise. 

6:04am: For those of you just joining us, here's a quick roundup of what's happened so far. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has been shot down over Ukraine. The incident is believed to have occured two hours into the flight, which was supposed to have landed at 6:10am (+8 GMT). All 295 people on board are believed to have been killed by what is reportedly a surface-to-air missile. The majority of the passengers were of Dutch nationality.

However there were at least 38 Malaysians on board - 23 passengers and 15 crew members. It is still unclear who is responsible for the attack; the Ukraine government is blaming the separatists in the east for the attack. However, the separatists are denying responsibility, claiming they don't have the weaponry to carry out such an attack. The missiles are believed to have been launched from Russian-made BUK missile launchers.
Meanwhile, world leaders have condemned the attack and express their shock and grief at the fate of the passengers on the doomed flight. Prime Minister Najib Razak made a press announcement at 4am, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice. 

5am: This is what we know so far on the nationalities of the passengers and crew on flight MH17:

154 - Dutch
6- British
23- American
24 - Australian
23 - Malaysian
15 crew - Malaysian
Total: 245. Fifty people are still unidentified. Meanwhile. the Star Online reports that there were Indonesians, French, Belgian and Canadian passengers on board.

4.50am: Highlights from press conference by PM Najib Razak:

-The Ukrainian government says there will be a full, thorough and independent investigation into the crash and Malaysian officials will be invited to take part.
“If the plane was indeed shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to justice”.
- Ukrainian authorities believe the plane was shot down. “ We must and we will find out precisely what happened to this flight”.
- Flight route was declared safe by ICAO. IATA has stated that the airspace was not subject to restrictions. MAS confirms that the aircraft did not make a distress call. MAS is in the process of notifying the next of kin of the passengers and crew. All possible care will be provided to the families.
- Government will be sending special flight to Kiev with a special disaster assistance and rescue team and a medical team.
- Najib and Obrama want international teams to have full access to the crash site and no one should interfere with the area or move any debris including the black box.
- “This is a tragic day for what has already been a tragic year for Malaysia. I canont imagine what they must be going through in this painful time. The passenger and crew came from many different countries but today regardless of nationality we are all united in grief."

3.30am: A social media site attributed to a top Ukrainian rebel commander suggest the separatists shot down the plane by mistake, believing it was a large Ukrainian army transport plane. Read in full.

3.15am: 
A spokesman for the Ukranian government says the incident would be investigated as a 'criminal case' and not a terrorist case. 
CNN reporter Noah Sneider in Ukraine describes the scene as gruesome with bodies splayed out. Says plane exploded in the air, bodies rained down in pieces. "Huge metal pieces but for most up, everything is burned up'.  The debris field may be five kilometres wide.


3am: Relatives of passengers onboard flight MH17 have started to gather at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here to check on the fate of their loved ones. More.

2.49am: Pakatan leaders express shock, pray for those on board flight MH17.
2.43am: A CNN expert says there was an 'in-flight breakup', similar to the Challenger Shuttle explosion in the 1980s.

2.24am: PM Najib Razak expresses shock over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. 
2.16am: A rebel leader said Ukrainian forces shot the airliner down. Ukrainian official said their military was not involved.Details. 
2:12am: U.S. President Barack Obama promises that the U.S. 'will offer any assistance it can'. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the passengers," he said.

1.59am: A video taken in Russia showing what is believed to be flight MH17 going down.



1.56am: 
Sky News reports that flight MH17 was in a restricted area, unsuitable for civilian aircraft.

1.34am: 
Number of dead from crash is more than 300, the Interfax news agency says, quoting interior ministry advisor.

1.27am:
 Netizens react to tragic news of crashed MAS plane, just over four months since flight MH370 disappeared.

1.21am: 
The black box from flight MH17 has been reportedlly found 60km from the Russian border, reports CNN.

1.16am: 
Reuters reports that at least 100 bodies were found at the crash site.

1.10am: 
The New York Times reports that Ukraine’s president Petro O. Poroshenko was calling for an immediate investigation of the crash and did not rule out that it might have been shot down.

12.40am: MAS says it lost contact with MH17 at 1415GMT (10.15pm Malaysian time); the Boeing 777 was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members. 

12.31am: 
A Ukrainian official said a plane carrying 295 people was shot down over a town in the east of the country. Malaysia Airlines said on its Twitter feed that it "has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace. More details to follow.". Details here.
12:15am: Ukraine's Interior Minister says a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet has been shot down over Eastern Ukraine. PM Najib says he's shocked over the news and that Malaysia is investigating the matter. The plane was allegedly carrying 295 passengers when the incident occurred.

The flight was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam and was flying over the area that's the scene of fierce fighting between Russia and Ukraine. 
Source: https://my.news.yahoo.com

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