The Malaysian flight MH-17 with 283 passengers and 15 crew members, was shot down in Ukraine war zone along with the Russian border. All 298 passengers, including 154 Dutch nationals were killed, as the plan was hit by a missile while it was flying 33,000 ft above the ground. The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

It was also revealed that the Air India flight AI 113 (Amritsar-Birmingham) was flying close to MH-17 when it was shot down. It can be called as a close shave for the Indian plane, which was just 25 km away from the ill-fated Malaysian flight. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s return flight from Brazil was on the same route, but was diverted after the tragedy.

According to reports in Western media, the MH-17 was mistakenly targeted by the rebels. Some sources even claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was the real target, as his plane was close to MH-17. The rebels have alleged that it was Russian missile that shot down the plane. The UN has ordered an international probe into the incident. This is the second tragedy involving a Malaysian plane in less than five months, as the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people on board. The plane or the passengers were never traced, as they vanished into the air over the Indian Ocean.