A Singapore Airlines flight was within 25 kilometres of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 when it lost contact with air traffic controllers and crashed near the Russian border with Ukraine, according to a website that tracks global aircraft in real time.

According to flightradar24.com, Singapore Airlines SQ351, a Boeing 777, and Air India AI113, a Boeing 787, were about within 15 miles (25 kilometres) of MH17 when the Boeing 777 disappeared and crashed after presumably being shot down.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 disappeared from radar screens in eastern Ukraine at around 1415 GMT (10.15pm Singapore time), the carrier said on its Twitter account, hours after the Boeing 777, bound for Kuala Lumpur, had taken off from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. There were 298 people on board.

-- Singapore Airlines SQ351 (B777) and Air India AI113 (B787) were about 25 km from Malaysian Airlines MH17 when it disappeared. -- PHOTO: FLIGHTRADAR24/TWITTER