Malaysian jet crashes in Ukraine

Six Britons were on board the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, an Amsterdam airport official has said.

Some 295 people are believed to have died when the Boeing 777 came down in eastern Ukraine after taking off from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur.

Schiphol Airport chief executive Jos Nijhuis said some passengers’ nationalities had not yet been identified.

The UK Foreign Office has set up a helpline for anyone concerned.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he was “deeply shocked” by the “appalling incident” and did not want to speculate on the causes.

The British government has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the incident, the BBC’s UN correspondent Nick Bryant says.

Crisis helpline

The Foreign Office said anyone concerned could text MH17 to +44 7860010026, call 020 7008 1500 or fill out an online form at https://overseas-crisis.service.gov.uk.

Whitehall officials met on Thursday evening to discuss the incident and establish the facts, Prime Minister David Cameron said.