MH17 Crash: 23 Americans Killed On Malaysia Airlines Plane In Ukraine, Reports Say

There were 23 American citizens on the Malaysia Airlines jet that was allegedly shot down in Ukraine on Thursday, according to two reports, but the U.S. State Department has yet to confirm that figure.

Interfax quotes an unnamed Ukrainian Interior Ministry official as saying that 23 Americans were among those killed when flight MH17 went down near the city of Donetsk, Reuters reports. Moreover, a flight manifest included the names of 23 U.S. citizens, Fox News reports.

“We don’t have any additional details at this point on American citizens,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a briefing on Thursday. “Obviously, we’re seeking that information as we speak.”

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry official told Interfax that more than 300 people were killed in the incident, Reuters reports. However, Ukrainian government official Anton Gerashchenko put the number at 295, contending that a surface-to-air missile brought the plane down.

"A civilian airliner traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has just been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft system ... 280 passengers and 15 crew have been killed,” Gerashchenko was quoted as saying, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press journalist identified at least 22 bodies among the wreckage at the crash site, the news service reports.