USA to help in investigations of Ukraine jet crash

Malaysian airliner flight MH17 with 298 people on board crashes amid claims it was shot down PHOTO BY AGENCIES

US president Barrack Obama has announced that his government is to help in the investigation to establish the cause of the Thursday Malaysian jet crash in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has described it(the crash) as "an act of terrorism"

European flight safety body Eurocontrol says Ukrainian authorities have closed the airspace in the east of the country to all airline flights. It said all flight plans that use routes in the area are being rejected.

It follows the crash of Malaysian airliner flight MH17 with 298 people on board, amid claims it was shot down

Flights already airborne are being routed around the area by air traffic control in the region, a Department for Transport spokesperson said.

Flight MH17 was on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it came down near the village of Grabovo.

'Immediate measures'

The European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents more than 38,000 European pilots, said the route flown by the crashed Malaysian aircraft was "the most common route for flights from Europe to South East Asia."

Airline Emirates said its flight EK171 from Dubai to Kiev had returned to Dubai "due to the safety concerns raised with the latest reports on Malaysian flight MH17".