7:45 am

BBC: 298 people were on board

7:15 am

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday called for an independent, international investigation into the downing of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine.

6:50 am

The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Ukraine at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Friday, diplomats said.

U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman was expected to brief the council, said Rwanda's U.N. mission, president of the council for July. The meeting was requested by Britain.

6:40 am

IATA：We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the passengers and crew of MH17. Based on the information currently available it is believed that the airspace that the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions.

6:10 am

U.S. stocks sank on Thursday, with the S&P 500 posting its biggest one-day percentage drop since April 10 on news that a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet crashed near the Ukraine-Russia border.

Investors sold stocks in a move to avoid risk and poured money into safe-haven investments like gold and U.S. government bonds as the crash stoked concerns that the conflict in Ukraine might widen after U.S. sanctions against Russia were announced late Wednesday.

6:05 am

U.S. President Barack Obama and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko emphasized in a phone call on Thursday that all evidence from the downed Malaysian jetliner must remain in Ukraine for investigators to see.

"President Poroshenko welcomed the assistance of international investigators to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation of the crash site," the White House said of the call. "President Obama assured him that U.S. experts will offer all possible assistance immediately.

6:00 am

Reuters tweets: Ukrainian official says armed rebels are hampering search operations at #MH17 wreckage scene:

5:50 am

Emergency responders must be given "unhindered and safe" access to the site where a Malaysia Airlines jet carrying at least 154 Dutch citizens crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, the Dutch foreign minister said.

"This is a very black day for the Netherlands," said Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, adding that there needed to be an independent investigation into the crash.

5:48 am

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said if the downing of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine was a criminal act, then "it is an unspeakable crime".

The Australian government said in a statement it had grave concerns that a number of Australians might have been on the plane, which crashed on Thursday, killing all 295 people on board.

The European head of Malaysia Airlines said at least 27 Australian were on the flight.

5:46 am

Nationality breakdown of passengers on board the MH17 flight, according to Huib Gorter from Malaysian Airlines.

The Netherlands 154 

Australia 27

Malaysia 23

Indonesia 11

UK 6

Germany 4

Belgium 4

Philippines 3

Canada 1

More nationalities have yet to be counted.