Dutch counter-terrorism unit coordinator Dick Schoof, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Security and Justice (L-R) during a press conference in The Hague, The Netherlands, early 18 July 2014. - EPA/Evert-Jan Daniels
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MH17 crash: 298 onboard, MAS confirms
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PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have confirmed that there were 298 people onboard flight MH17 and not 295, as earlier reported.
As opposed to an earlier statement, the airline confirmed Friday that MH17 was carrying 283 passengers, including three infants of various nationalities, and 15 Malaysian crew members. The nationalities of some of the passengers are yet to be determined.
The list of passengers and crew according to nationality 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
MAS is currently in the process of notifying the next-of-kin of the passengers and crew.
The scale of the disaster affecting scores of foreigners could prove a turning point for international pressure to resolve a crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives in Ukraine since pro-Western protests toppled the Moscow-backed president in Kiev in February and Russia annexed Crimea a month later.
Despite the shooting down of several Ukrainian military aircraft in the area in recent months, including two this week, and renewed accusations from Kiev that Russian forces were taking a direct part, international air lanes had remained open.
MAS said air traffic controllers lost contact with flight MH-17 at 1415 GMT as it flew over eastern Ukraine towards the Russian border, bound for Asia with 280 passengers and 15 crew aboard.
Flight tracking data indicated it was at its cruising altitude of 10,000 metres when it disappeared.
