Malaysian authorities have condemned "any attack on innocent civilians" saying flight MH17 was fully operational when it crashed.

298 people on board the Boeing 777 were killed when it crashed in eastern Ukraine yesterday en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The plane was reportedly shot down but Russia and Ukraine are both denying responsibility. The United Nations is set to meet later to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile Malaysian Airlines is still trying to determine the nationality of 20 people on board the flight.

It is believed they did not go through passport control in Amsterdam because they had been in transit from previous flights, making it harder to find out their details.

Malaysia is sending a 62-strong team to Kiev to help in the investigation into what happened.

All sides in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have denied responsibility for the incident.

The Malaysian transport minister Low Tiong Lai, taking questions from the media, defended their use of airspace above a conflict zone, saying it was approved by international aviation authorities.