UN chief Ban Ki-moon urges transparent probe of Malaysia Airlines plane crash

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has called for a full investigation into the crash of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine as he expressed his condolences to the families of the 298 victims who died in the disaster.

"I am closely monitoring the reports, along with the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. There is clearly a need for a full and transparent international investigation," Ban said here yesterday.

"I offer my deep condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and people of Malaysia," he said.

The Boeing 777 - which was carrying 298 people - was en route from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lampur, when it crashed in eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border.

The Ukrainian government and the pro-Russian separatists fighting for independence in the east of the country have blamed each other for the alleged shooting down of the plane.