Malaysian Prime Minister Issues Official Statement Following Malaysia Airlines MH17 Crash

Following the confirmed missile attack and subsequent crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which killed 298 people on board, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak took to his social media sites to express his sentiments. Razak took to Twitter and Facebook to immediately impart his thoughts on the situation:

On Twitter just moments after the news was made public, Razak issued the following post:

I am shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation.

— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) July 17, 2014

A subsequent post on Razak's Twitter account with the handle @NajibRazak shows a photo of the Prime Minister getting updates about the developing situation at the Malaysian Emergency Operations Centre.

In a statement on Razak's official Facebook page, he gives a detailed account of how he was informed of the attack on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and the airline's confirmation of the flight's details. The Boeing 777-200 has now been found in a wreck in Eastern Ukraine in the Donetsk Region, a rebel-held territory.

Razak states that the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur which passes over conflict-ridden Ukrainian airspace was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. He also states that the International Air Transportation Association had not placed any restrictions on the flight path clearing Malaysia Airlines of any negligence in choosing to fly over potentially dangerous airspace.

The Prime Minister also stated that the Malaysian Government will be taking measures to notify family members of those on board the aircraft.

Razak confirms that the Ukrainian Authorities believe that the plane has been shot down and that he is in constant contact with other world leaders from Ukraine and the Netherlands who are involved due to the origin of the flight which originated from Amsterdam bound for Kuala Lumpur. He states that he has also received a call from U.S. President Barack Obama.

"He and I both agreed that the investigation must not be hindered in anyway. An international team must have full access to the crash site. And no one should interfere with the area, or move any debris, including the black box." Razak said.

Malaysia .Airlines had already suffered another tragedy earlier this year when one of its commercial airliners, MH370 disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Despite vast efforts to locate the plane, it has so far not been.

"This is a tragic day, in what has already been a tragic year, for Malaysia. The flight's passengers and crew came from many different countries. But today, regardless of nationality, we are all united in grief." he ended.

See thee full statement in Prime Minister Rajib Nazak's Official Facebook Page