A Malaysian passenger plane with 295 people on board has been shot down as it flew above eastern Ukraine, according to aviation sources.

The plane, which is believed to have been flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was travelling at an altitude of 10km (6.2 miles) when it was shot down, Russia's Interfax reported.

The aircraft, reportedly a Boeing 777, was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry quoted by the news agency said

A spokesman for Malaysian Airlines confirmed it had lost contact with flight MH17, which departed from Amsterdam at 12.14am local time.

The flight disappeared from radar as it flew over Ukrainian airspace, he said.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Moscow, said media reports suggest the plane came down in the Donestk region, where there has been recent heavy fighting amid continuing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Several videos apparently filmed in the area, none of which Sky News has been able to independently verify, show plumes of thick, black smoke rising high into the air.

An aviation source told the Reuters news agency the wreckage of a burning aircraft had been found on the ground.