According to social media reports, at least one South African was killed when the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed in strife-torn eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
A senior staff member at Beeld newspaper said on Twitter that a helicopter pilot from Durban was among the 298 passengers and crew on board.
According to reports from Kuala Lumpur, there are still 41 dead whose nationalities have not yet been confirmed.
Flight MH 17 was enroute from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, carrying 283 passengers of various nationalities, including three infants and 15 crew of Malaysian nationality.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the air disaster, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a "full, transparent and international investigation" in the rebel-held territory.
Picture: via Twitter
Beeld editor reports there was a South African Rescue pilot from Durban on flight MH17 that was shot down last night, his name was Cameron Dalziel. He leaves behind his wife and two children.
We are waiting for more info from the Department of International relations who still have to issue a statement
