Malaysia's leader has called the Malaysia Airlines plane crash in eastern Ukraine "deeply shocking".

Describing the disaster as a "tragic day" in a "tragic year" for Malaysia, Najib Razak said the investigation "must not be hindered in any way".

The plane, now known to have been carrying 298 people, crashed in rebel-held territory near the Russian border.

Both sides in Ukraine's civil conflict have accused the other of shooting it down with a missile.

The Boeing 777, with the call sign MH17, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

It is the second disaster suffered by Malaysia Airlines this year. Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Malaysia to China in March and has still not been found.

In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said MH17 was carrying at least 154 Dutch nationals, 27 Australians, 43 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 12 Indonesians and nine Britons.

Other passengers came from Germany, Belgium, the Philippines and Canada, with the nationalities of 41 people not yet confirmed.

Several of those on board were heading for a major international conference on HIV/Aids in Melbourne, Australian officials said.

Other airlines have announced they are now setting flight paths to avoid eastern Ukraine.

'Swift justice'

In his statement, the Malaysian leader said the plane's route had been declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

He said the plane had not made a distress call.

"Malaysia is unable to verify the cause of this tragedy. But we must - and we will - find out precisely what happened to this flight," Mr Najib said.

"If it transpires that the plane was indeed shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to justice."

Malaysia is sending a team to Ukraine to help with the investigation.

US and Ukrainian officials said they believed the plane had been brought down by a missile.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said it was an "act of terrorism".

Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told the BBC he had intercepted phone conversations that proved the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukraine government for restarting military operations in the area, where it is trying to regain control from pro-Russian rebels.

"The country in whose airspace this happened bears responsibility for it," he said.

(BBC)

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