Transcripts For WJLA ABC World News Now 20140718

Prevent a bigger disaster. The truck overturned. But it could have been far worse. No one was seriously hurt. A victory this morning for gay rights advocates in florida. A judge has ruled that the states ban on samesex marriage is unconstitutional. But the ruling only applies to the florida keys. The state attorney general appealed within hours. That means samesex couples will likely have to wait until the case is settled to pick up marriage licenses. A new case of a mosquitoborne virus in the United States. Two people have been infected with the virus that spread in the caribbean. Health officials are telling ez dents to do Everything Possible to avoid mosquito bites. And broadway will dim its lights to honor Elaine Stritch. The comic actress died in michigan. Her career included tv shows and cabaret shows. One of her recent gigs was the hit comedy 30 rock, where she played alec baldwins domineering mother. You knew . Its florida, jack. Its like it never stopped being the 70s down there. Stritch moved to michigan last year to be near family. She had no children. But many nieces and nephews. Earlier this morning, the document Elaine Stritch shoot me was released. She was 98. Coming up, we return to our coverage of the malaysian jet crash. And we look at the war zone. Who they be responsible for shooting down the jumbo jet. And later, safety in the skies after a deadly year for the airline industry. Youre watching world news the airline industry. Youre watching world news now. Each. Bul power free can change the way you clean. Its Hydrogen Peroxide formula, and it kills 99. 9 of germs without the harshness. A powerful clean, thats Family Friendly thats what we call healthing. Lysol power free. Start healthing. For healthy floors, try lysol clean fresh. The only cleaner approved to kill germs, even when diluted. Welcome back. Powerful images there. The United Nations Security Council will host an emergency meeting today on the shootdown of that Malaysia Airlines flight 17. The jet seems to have been caught in the crossfire of the conflict in ukraine. Martha raddatz has more on the attention. Reporter its unclear who fired the missile. But the plane did fly over a war zone. It sure is hard to understand why you would route an aircraft over a known combat zone. Reporter but the planes altitude was determined to be safe for commercial air traffic, even though natos top commander, American General phillip freedlove, said recently, that russia has been providing air Defense Training to the prorussian rebels. Why this flight went over the combat zone is a mystery tonight. Reporter on the ground, photographer and abc news freelance producer, john wendell, was one of the first journalists to arrive at the horrific crash scene. He was touring the scene, narrating to abcs george stephanopoulos. Who was talking to you there . A rebel with a weapon. He just pointed out with a flashlight on the ground that theres theres blood splattered everywhere. And pieces of pieces of remains. Oh, man. Theyre shining flashlights out into the field. Theres bodies scattered everywhere. They just shined a light on a woman, unrecognizable. Just a lower torso. Reporter since february, prorussian separatists have been waging war against the Ukrainian Government. Just this week, its believed russian separatists shot down two Ukrainian Military planes. But mh17 was a commercial flight, filled with civilians. Not a military target. Almost immediately, ukrainian president poroshenko unequivocally placed the blame on russia, which is accused of arming the separatists. Saying, it wasnt an accident or a disaster. But an act of terrorism. And ukraine released what they say is an intercepted phone call, proving it. In the recordings, men they describe as militants, talk about shooting down a plane. Later, saying it was a civilian plane. The prorussian militants deny they are responsible. Somebody, whether it was the rebels or the russians or somebody else, may have fired a radarguided fa11 missile to 33,000 feet, which impacted this airliner and brought it down, killing all aboard. Reporter authorities believe a powerful missile launcher, like this, was used to shoot down the plane. So, this was not just some small system. This was a very sophisticated surfacetoair missile system. Reporter a system that requires extensive training. And those who fired it may not have had enough. Perhaps what happened was that the rebels knew just enough to know how to launch one of these missiles. But not enough how to differentiate between a commercial aircraft and a military aircraft. Reporter president obama offered condolences to the families of the victims. The United States will offer any assistance we can to find out what happened and why. And the country, our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families of the passengers wherever they call home. Reporter families of the victims gathered at amsterdams international airport. And across the world, in kuala lumpur, the flights final destination. Around the world, thousands mourn and pay tribute to the 298 souls lost. Im Martha Raddatz, in washington. Even before this crash, the day before, in fact, president obama came out publicly and announced sanctions against russia, including eight defense firms. So, its fascinating this is a region the white house has been watching closely. What i could not believe. There is a poll in russia. President putins approval rating, nearly 90 . Even as the russian economy is really taking a hit from these sanctions, increased sanctions, the white house, being careful to point the finger at russia about this incident. But they said overnight, this happened in the context of the prorussian separatists, which are getting support from russia. And they say if theres evidence there, i would say look for more action from the white house on this one against russia. And in the coming hours, u. N. Security council will be meeting. Russia has a veto. It will be interesting to see what happens there. Well be following that closely. Coming up, it hadnt been a good year for frightened fliers. How safe is it really to fly . Well look at the risk posed by mechanical failures, weather hazards and now, international conflict. Stay with us. Welcome back. Its been less than five months since the Malaysia Airlines mh370 disappeared in the indian ocean. Now, a second catastrophe involving the same airline and the same type of airplane. In light of these disasters, should we be more concerned about the safety of air travel . Jim avila takes a look. Reporter for every heroic save, like sullenbergers ha landing on the hudson river, there are disasters in the air. 2013 was the safest year in history. 29 worldwide, with 265 deaths. The last Fatal Airline crash in the states was this asiana 777 in san francisco, just over a year ago. Three passengers killed, when the pilot landed short of the runway. A hard landing, bouncing the tail section off the fuselage. It was ruled pilot error. Nothing wrong with the plane. In 2009, a similar story for air france 447. The air force jumbo jet crashing into the atlantic, after the pilot misread an instrument. All 228 passengers and crew were killed. Aviation consultant john nance says pilots relying too much on instruments is the biggest problem in an otherwise safe industry. The asiana accident was so infuriating. Two or three people who were system operators and not pilots. Reporter the planes themselves rarely faulted. The most recent incident was last month. It wasnt a crash at all. Two crew members and one passenger were hit by bullets on landing at the Peshawar Airport in pakistan. One later died. The years aviation mystery remains the other Malaysia Flight, 370. The 777 that disappeared between kwaul kuala lumpur and beijing. All onboard missing and presumed dead. And now, a second malaysian 777 brought down. There are 93,000 flights all over the earth every day. Commercial flights. Reporter suddenly, the safest way to travel, looking less so. Jim avila, abc news, washington. Looking less so. But its such an important reminder that in spite of the fact it was three 777s that have crashed within the last year, its very rare to die in a plane crash. 16times more likely youll be killed in a public bus crash than a plane crash. The New York Times did a story about this. They found that you can fly for 123,000 years and still be safe. As we heard in the piece there, very rare. But certainly, this is raising a lot of eyebrows. As theyre beginning to really comb through that wreckage, somewhat of a different case. This was a shootdown. And coming up, a recap of our top story. A comprehensive look at the devastation that brought the tragic shootdown of malaysia devastation that brought the tragic shootdown of Malaysia Flight 17. Und out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, it could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. Ive been with my doctor for 12 years. Now i know ill be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] youll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. 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The boeing 777 was carrying 289 passengers and crew, when it was shot down by someone aiming at a military aircraft. The Ukrainian Government is claiming prorussian rebels. The profound scope of this disaster can barely be summed up in mere facts and figures. Its the images and the emotion in those images that are giving us a grasp of the magnitude of this tragedy. A very grim scene that were seeing here. Shot down. Not an accident. Blown out of the sky. I was walking along. And somebodys flashlight fell upon some childrens playing cards that were kind of scattered. You get a pit in your stomach. We were supposed to be on that flight. And obviously, something was watching over us. No, dont get on that flight. Im shaking. Dont know really what to do, to go or not to go. We owe it, as well, to the families of the dead, to find out exactly what has happened and exactly who is responsible. Wreckage and people still strapped in their seats, along a path of five or ten miles, like we have here, it indicates that the airplane split up at higher altitude. And dumped not only people out, but dumped the entire floor section and sections of the fuselage. And thats indicative of an explosion. As things stand, this looks less like an accident and a crime. And if so, the perp traitors must be brought to justice. What more the russians may have may not have done, we dont know. And to put putin on notice that he has gone too far. And we are not going to stand idly by. Its important we get to the bottom of this sooner or later. The possible repercussions could flow from this beyond the tragic loss of life. Happening right now, disaster in the sky. The jumbo jet brought down by a missile, nearly 300 onboard. A very grim scene were seeing here. Debris scattered across miles of countryside in ukraine. This is truly a grave situation. The world wants to know who did it. And why . Were live with breaking, new details, just coming in. Good morning. Im reena ninan. And im devin dwyer. So much news to talk about this morning. Well get right to pit oop breaking details. Officials believe the boeing 777 was brought down by a surfacetoair missile, someone aiming at a military aircraft. Malaysia airlines was not specifically targeted. The prorussian rebels have agreed to allow investigators safe access to the crash site to gather evidence. And advising the investigation will be a team of fbi agents and officials from the ntsb. Abcs Martha Raddatz begins our coverage. Reporter there, in the distance, that burst of flame. The moment that the flight with 150,000 pounds of fuel crashed down. Then, the smoke plumes, filling the horizon. Those white streaks, debris from the plane littering the sky. As cameras reach the scene, in the ukrainian countryside, utter devastation. Flames in one part of the wreckage. The massive boeing 777, with its 298 souls onboard, shattered on the earth. As far as the eye can see, an apocalyptic scene. But the debris was spread across ten miles. And in other spots, there is no fire. The Malaysian Airline colors visible. Clothing, passports. A vacationers travel guide. A sign that these are the parts of the plane blown up in the sky. Flight 17 took off from amsterdam just off noon local time. Just over four hours into the flight to kuala lumpur, malaysia, cruising at 333,000 feet, it crosses ukraine near russias border. Thats when something goes terribly wrong. The u. S. Says it believes the plane was shot down by a single surfacetoair missile. Shot down. Not an accident. Blown out of the sky. Reporter the government of ukraine has been locked in a battle with prorussian separatists, who want to break parts of the country off to join russia. Ukraine accused those separatists of shooting the flight down over a rebelcontrolled area. Ukraine releasing what they say is an intercepted phone call proving it. Saying that in the recording, militants say they shot down the plane. Later saying, it was a passenger aircraft. Ukraines president saying, it wasnt an accident or a disaster, but an act of terrorism. The prorussian militants deny the charge, suggesting it may have been Ukrainian Forces behind the strike. What we do know is that before the crash, Ukrainian Forces claimed one of their fighter jets was shot down near the border with russia. And on monday, a ukrainian cargo plane was shot down, too, likely by a surfacetoair missile. The air space above ukraine was quickly cleared of commercial flights. This flight tracker image shows flights rerouting around the war zone. The russian separatists claim they have recovered the black box and will turn it over to russia. And while that is important, there will be all kinds of evidence from satellites and surveillance aircraft, that the u. S. And its allies will now be looking at closely. The general theory at this point is whoever was operating that surfacetoair missile, was aiming at a military aircraft. And accidentally shot down the 777, instead. Martha raddatz, abc news, washington. The first journalists arriving at the scene of the crash were met by armed rebels controlling the area, and searching for bodies. Abc freelance reporter, john wendell, got a first look at the vast debris field. Theyre walking through these fields. Its high grass. And occasionally youll catch part of a fuselage or one of the wheels. I was walking along and somebodys flashlight fell upon some childrens playing cards that were scattered. We found part of the tail fuselage here. There is a body next to it. You know, its a very grim scene that were seeing here. Rescue workers are planting sticks of white flags in spots where they find human remains. Witnesses say the cockpit and the tail of the plane were found about six miles apart. And the crash site is in a remote part of Eastern Ukraine. And as weve been reporting, that area is controlled by prorussian rebels. In fact, its making this investigation a complicated one. Our coverage continues live in washington, with abcs Tahman Bradley. Tahman, we heard so much about securing the crash site. What can we expect from investigators in the hours ahead . Reporter reena and devin, good morning. The fbi and the ntsb are headed to the scene of the crash site. Theyre going to want to get there as soon as possible. As martha pointed out, the prorussian rebels and the russians say they have their hands on the black boxes and the flight data recorder. That will, of course, offer Critical Evidence in this. They say they dont want them to send it to moscow. As they say, they will do. But they have a lot of territory to cover. About ten miles. And every, single thing from the plane, from the fuselage, from seats to the plane, could offer a potential clue as to exactly what happened. Theyre going to want to get their hands on that voice recorder. It will tell us more than the conversations just the conversation between the captain and the first officer. And experts say when you have the wreckage, when you see people still strapped in their seats along five to ten miles, you know, it indicates that the plane split up at a higher altitude. And that would confirm what u. S. Officials believe, and that is the plane was shot down. Weve seen a white house issue a warning to the rebels to leave the black boxes in place. But if the russians do get the black boxes, any idea whether they can read that data . Reporter yeah, devin. There is a lot of concern about the integrity of the black boxes. Not only would they be able to read the data. They could alter it. Now, authorities believe they would be able to find out exactly if someone tampered with the data. But that is crucial. They want to be able to get their hands on that information before it is sent over to moscow. You know, weve seen in past incidents like this, in which groups have used the black boxes recovered from a crash site and held it as ransom. Obviously, officials dont want to see that happen in this case. Abcs Tahman Bradley in washington. Thank you so much, tahman. And the loss of flight 17 was a blow to aids research. Several passengers were top aids researchers heading to a conference in australia. Australian lawmakers observed two moments of silence in memory of those who died. In amsterdam, anxious family members are waiting for word on their loved ones. And theres reports of passengers who did not take that flight. You get that feeling in the pit of your stomach. We were supposed to be on that flight. And obviously, someone, something was watching over us and said, no. Dont get on that flight. So fortunate for them. More than half the passengers were from the netherlands and malaysia. The state Department Says its working to determine if any americans were onboard. Stay with abc news all morning long, as we cover the plane crash investigation. And later this half hour, what we can learn from past incidents like this one. And safety in the skies. The other major story were following this morning, the crisis in the middle east. Israel now says that one of its soldiers has died in the ground operation against hamas. Thousands of israeli tanks have rolled into gaza. On a mission to destroy hamas rocket firing operations. And to take out tunnels used by militants. Heres abcs hamish macdonald. Reporter the blazing night sky above gaza was the giveaway. After hours of heavy shelling, confirmation. Israel has begun the ground phase of its operations in gaza. This strip of land is being bombarded from the air, sea and land. Artillery units, infantry, all being deployed. Another 18,000 reservists are being called up. A total now of more than 60,000. For the past week, weve seen the steady buildup towards this moment. Were seeing two, three, four tanks moving across. Theres another long line of them waiting in these fields to move in. Israels military is telling abc news, there is no time limit on this operation. The mission, to bring calm and quiet back to israel. That is, stop the raucous and prevent hamas from conducting operations like this. Heavilyarmed militants use underground tunnels to get into israel. For five hours earlier, there was a window of hope. A temporary ceasefire. But expectations of an imminent 240 people have been killed in gaza so far. They buried four boys that were killed as they played soccer on the beach. These will not be the last funerals this war brings. There are risks for israel conducting a ground operation inside gaza. They have been there before. And it has not turned out well. Hamish macdonald, abc news, tel aviv. This war, Prime Minister netanyahu has had one focus, getting rid of the tunnels. Its an interesting time figure youre hseeing here. Yesterday morning, we saw 13 Palestinian Militants try to cross over to make it into israel. One official told me this is a big, significant moment in this because they havent been able to be successful in killing israelis with rockets. Theres one Israeli Death in this. But what has been a big focus for them now, youre seeing the live pictures in the gaza strip at this very moment. What has been a big focus for them, is the fear there could be suicide bombing attacks, if the men are able to infiltrate, get into israel. They havent been successful with the rockets. The ground operation, all about the tunnels. And the Israeli Military telling us moments ago, they have struck nine tunnels in that operation. A big push in the coming days. In a moment, we return to our top story, the disaster in the sky. Mow the malaysian jet crash could cast americans. And one disaster after another. Still under fight over the disappearance of flight 370. Youre watching world news now. Thats not wear on your carpet, thats dirt creeping in. Send it running with resolve high traffic foam. Its foam power removes three times more dirt than vacuuming alone. All while neutralizing pet odors. Dont just vacuum clean. Resolve clean. Sometimes come out with spots . Well, those spots are actually leftover food or detergent residue. Can we help prevent this . Yes, use finish jet dry. It goes in your dishwashers dispenser to help eliminate spots and residues. Wow, what a difference [laughs] when were having this much fun, why quit . And bounty has no quit in it either. 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Investigators were also disappointed by earnings reports and a housing indicator. This is how the second disaster in four months for Malaysia Airlines, with investigators trying to figure out what happened to flight 370, another boeing 777 that vanished back in march. The airline is facing a doublecrisis. Heres abcs david kerley. Reporter this is the scene malaysian officials confronted four months ago, when its flight 370 disappeared. Angry family members of those lost. For the second time, in just 131 days, Malaysia Airlines is once again in the headlines. Two disasters. Two different flights. One airline. On march 8 of this year, it was flight 370 that disappeared, somewhere over the south indian ocean. Not a single piece of debris found so far. But it appears that flight 17 was shot down, near the russian ukrainian border. And the key piece of evidence, the black boxes, reportedly recovered already. Both flights were boeing 777s, an aircraft with one of the best safety records in aviation. A double disaster this magnitude that no airline has faced in recent history. Malaysian airline, a government airline, faced criticism for its handling of information and its investigation, sending a text message to family members about the fate of their loved ones. Those who had loved ones on flight 17 already have some answers. If those black boxes have been turned over to the russians, a former u. S. Aviation official says the russians are well equipped to read them out and take care of the investigation. But he adds, with the political overtones and the conflict between ukraine and russia, this needs to been an open investigation. David kerley, abc news, orange county, california. The search for flight 370 still under way. Its not just a blowing to Malaysia Airlines. But also to bowing. This is the third 777 thats gone missing or crashed. Asiana airlines in san francisco. The missing in the indian ocean. And now, this incident. Really incredible for boeing. Yeah. Fascinating point you make. Coming up, this is unfortunately not the first time a commercial airline has been caught in the crossfire. Well take a look at past shootdowns. The hundreds of innocent civilians killed and the investigations. And ahead in our next half hour, the floods in texas. The wall of water that swept through one town. Youre watching abcs world news now. The last time a commercial jetliner was shot down by a missile was also over ukraine. Its military accidentally hit a russian plane during an exercise in 2001. Thats right. And our own military downed an iranian flight in 1988 over the persian gulf. Abcs Jonathan Karl has more on the high cost of global conflicts. Civilians that pay with their lives. Reporter it f confirmed, its not the first time a commercial airliner has been caught in the crossfire of a conflict. And not the first time the white house has had to deal with the consequences. Looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Reporter on july 3rd, 1988, a missile brought down an iranian airliner as it flew over the persian gulf. They had been exchanging gunfire and mistook the airbus for an arriranian fighter jet. Before that, in september 1983, a russian fighter jet shot down a korean plane, with 269 passengers onboard. The plane, a boeing 747, had accidentally strayed into thensoviet air space. One of the passengers was a u. S. Congressman. The soviet government first denied involvement. And later claimed the plane was spying on them. The similarities here are very strong. In both of those cases, there had been Something Else going on in the area the day before. So, its possible that people on both sides of the border, russia and ukraine, were thinking this is not a passenger plane. But thinking it was a military plane. Its important we get to the bottom of this sooner or later because of the possible repercussions that can flow from this beyond the tragic loss of life. Reporter Jonathan Karl, abc news, the white house. That iranian flight that jon karl spoke about was a key moment, they say, during the cold war. The Ronald Reagan administration allowed worldwide access to its gps system. Its called gnss. And they found it important to allow access to it. The u. S. Has never admitted responsibility for that or apologized for that incident. Well be right back. Stay with us. D. Big plans. So when i found out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. 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Dont just vacuum clean. Resolve clean. Welcome back. We are getting some of the headlines across the world, regarding the malaysian Airlines Flight. We want to show you some of these, later this half hour, about putins missile, from the sun. Interesting headlines well bring to you shortly. Thats right. This incident is just grabbing headlines around the globe. This one from the daily star slaughter at 33,000 feet. With a rebel looking out, one of the first to respond to that wreckage. Even in israel. The big headline. It wasnt catchy. Just direct and straightforward. It says that israel launches a major offensive. Israel back in gaza, which hasnt happened in five years. And heres another one from the herald sun in australia. Again of mh17. This one talking about the number of aussies, 27 aussies killed in this accint. And 295 dead. That was an initial number that authorities put out. Its now 298, reena, because we learned there were three infants well. Incredibly sad details. Getting lots of breaking news overnight. And both fronts, the war in israel and the war the situation in malaysia, from this crash, as well. Thats right. We know investigators from the United States are on the way, from the fbi and ntsb. And we expect to hear more from the white house this morning, on the intelligence that theyve been gathering overnight. The british, are quick to point the finger at russia. This headline, putins missile. Fascinating. The white house more reserved in pointing blame at anyone. Were going to keep our eyes on this. And heres one more from the guardian in london. So much focus on the wreckage and the scenes here. Just incredible, the chunks. You can see the images of the engines here of the plane. The boeing 777, on the ground. Almost intact. And investigators have told us, reena, the fact we see the large chunks, means it was hit it was an impact in the sky that brought it down in this way. The next few hours, the big focus will be on the crash sites, trying to secure and get in the area where the plane went down. Its actually controlled by rebels that are prorussian. To make sure that u. S. Investigators, investigators around the world, they will be protected when they look at the sites. Stay with us for the latest on that story and from gaza, in the next half hour. And join us on facebook and twitter. Stay with us. This morning on world news now, disaster in the sky. A massive airliner targeted. Blown out of the sky. The fireball falling to earth. Nearly 300 people, even babies, onboard. I was walking along. And somebodys flashlight fell upon some childrens playing cards that were scattered. Daylight bringing new questions, who is to blame . Complete coverage with new details, just coming in. Good friday morning to you. Thanks for joining us. Im devin dwyer. Im reena ninan. So much news on so many fronts. Including, in israel. Were just learning that the First Casualty of an israeli soldier in the Ground Invasion into the gaza strip. Were also following the air crash in malaysia. Big focus on the crash site, securing that investigation site, especially as the u. S. Has agreed to send in that investigation. And Daylight Hours in the ukraine. Thats where were begin this morning. The working theory is that whoever fired the missile that took down the airplane was aiming at a military aircraft and accidentally hit the passenger jet. The second tragedy to hit the Malaysian Airlines this year. Flight 370 disaeared in march. With more on the crash, heres abcs brian ross. Reporter even the dramatic footage of the moment of impact is being questioned. As u. S. Officials point fingers of blame at the prorussian rebels. They asked who just happened to have a camera rolling at the precise direction and time the plane was blown out of the sky, bursting into flames. Almost immediately, the prorussian rebels moved in to secure and take control of the crash scene and the debris field, that stretches over ten miles. A gruesome landscape, littered with pieces of malaysian flight 17. Remains of personal belongings, a tourist guide to bali, unscathed. At the scene was john wendell, a freelance reporter for abc news. Theres blood splattered everywhere. And pieces of pieces of remains. Oh. Reporter the rebels claim they have recovered the planes critical black box data and voice recorders and will send it to moscow. U. S. Officials say there is evidence the plane was shot down. Shot down. Not an accident. Blown out of the sky. Reporter hours after the crash, the Ukrainian Government posted what were described as audio intercepts of the rebels. First reporting that a military plane had been shot down. Then, a short while later, one of the purported militants said, it was a civilian plane, spouting profanity. As he describes the bodies and belongings, saying there was no sign at all that it was a military plane. U. S. Officials say the working theory is that an oldermodel russianmade surfacetoair missile, was fired at the jet by the rebels who thought they had targeted a military aircraft. In fact, in the last four days, the rebels had shot down two Ukrainian Military aircraft. Brian ross, abc news, new york. This investigation will be complicated because its much more than a plane crash here. Its become an International Incident with so many nationalities onboard. And the fact that this happened in a war zone. And now, our coverage continues with abcs Tahman Bradley, live in washington. Tahman, tell us. What happens next with the investigation, particularly the black boxes . Reporter reena and devin, the officials want to get their hands on the black boxes. The prorussian rebels say they have the black boxes and theyre going to send them over to moscow. But the u. S. Is warning them this morning not to do that. They want to be able to get access to that data. They would be able to potentially read the black boxes. Potentially manipulate the data. But officials do believe that they would be able to determine if the black boxes were tampered with. But that flight cockpit recorder that would be able to give the investigators more information than just the conversation between the captain and copilot. They would be able to hear the sound of explosion and sounds of other trouble on the plane. That would give them a sense of exactly what happened. Its crucial that the ntsb and the fbi who are headed there to support the investigators on the ground, that they get their hands on those black boxes. And, tahman, so many people asking this morning how that plane could have been flying over an active war zone. We understand that some u. S. Airlines have made changes to their routes in that area . Reporter thats exactly right. A bulletin went out last night to all u. S. Airlines to tell them to avoid flying over ukraine. Thats one of the questions in this. How this malaysian jet, why was it flying over territory where there was violence going on . Territory where there were prorussian separatists on the ground. So, thats something that will need to be answered. Now, many countries dont want to go near that air space, potentially for there to be more problems and to potentially be shot down. Abcs Tahman Bradley on the story for us from washington. Thanks, tahman. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton weighed in overnight. She appeared on pbs, telling charlie rose there is a growing awareness that prorussian insurgents shot the plane down. If there is evidence pointing in that direction, the equipment had to come from russia. What more the russians may or may not have done, we dont know. But nobody kids themselves if russia really keeps weighing in on behalf of the insurgents. Theres a lot more that needs to be done. And to put putin on notice that he has gone too far. And we are not going to stand idly by. Clinton said european leaders should be outraged by russias role in Eastern Ukraine and should follow the u. S. In imposing tighter sanctions on russia. Well, the current secretary of state, john kerry, says authorities are trying to determine if americans were on the doomed plane. The vast majority of the victims were from malaysia and the netherlands. At the amsterdam airport where the plane took off, family members were waiting for news about their loved ones. And it was a somber scene in kiev, as mourners came to memorialize the victims of the crash. They came in droves to create a memorial. Some carrying small children as they left flowers, candles and antirussian messages. The victims were also honored in australia. Senators there, holding a moment of silence. 27 australians were on the doomed flight. Australian Prime Minister tony abbott expressed condolences. And the foreign minister said, if the plane was shot down, its an unspeakable crime. And stay with abc news all morning long, as we cover the crash investigation. Look for much more live reports, later on america this morning and good morning america. And the other major story were following this morning is of course, the crisis in the middle east. Israel is reporting its First Casualty from the escalated battle with hamas. A soldier killed in northern gaza. Israeli military says its Ground Forces are tarting militant tunnels there and rocket firing operations. And this morning, hamas says israel will pay a heavy price. Abcs Alex Marquardt is in gaza city. Reporter overnight, Israeli Forces fired flares into the skies above gaza, as they pummeled the strip with artillery. All that before Benjamin Netanyahu said he was escalating this tenday conflict by sending Ground Forces into gaza. The goal, he says, to take out the Extensive Network of underground tunnels that lead from gaza into israel. That has been built by hamas, and used, israel says, to carry out attacks. So, in that respect, so far, its a relatively limited operation. But netanyahu says it could be expanded. The government has called up 18,000 more reserve troops, bringing the total to now more than 60,000. There had been a window of hope when for five hours israel and hamas agreed to a pause in the fighting for humanitarian reasons. But israel accused hamas of violating that peace. And as soon as the time limit expired, the two sides resumed firing. So far, around 250 palestinians have been killed in air strikes by israel. One israeli man killed by palestinian mortar. Now, there is no timeframe on the israeli operations. The government says it will continue as long as it takes to stop those rockets from being fired at israel. And to strike a blow against hamas infrastructure. For its part, hamas now warning that israel will pay a high price for this ground incursion. Over the past few days there had been hopes that egypt would be able to mediate a ceasefire between hamas and israel. But those hopes, at least for now, have been dashed. Alex marquardt, abc news, gaza. I was fascinated. Just hours after the humanitarian ceasefire had happened that israel went in with a Ground Invasion. And seemed like the white house was caught off guard by this invasion. Thats right. They were. And just yesterday, the president was calling for a ceasefire, expressing optimism that a ceasefire could be reached. These are pictures from moments ago, looking into gaza. You see the smoke there from the operations under way right now. We also have been watching live pictures this morning there. The operations continuing today. Israel saying just a little while ago, that they have now captured 20 launchers. Theyve neutralized them and been attacking nine tunnels. 14 hamas leaders killed, they say, reena. Well be watching this developing story in the middle east and the Malaysian Airlines situation. Coming up, were going to turn to our top story. The malaysian jumbo jet crash. And well take an indepth look at the difficulties investigators are facing there in the flights final moments in the sky. Youre watching world news now. The heartbreaking images. Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 crashed in an area of ukraine controlled by rebels. An already difficult investigation is likely to get even more complicated. Experts say, the key to unraveling why will be found in the wreckage miles from where it crashed. Abcs jim avila has the details. Reporter heres what investigators are facing. A debris field stretching for miles. The main impact zone thoroughly charred. The fuselage from the aluminum frame to the human bodies decimated. But a few miles away, entire impact chunks, still carrying the airlines color scheme. The bodies, still recognizable in a residential neighborhood. The voice recorder onboard, which tapes the conversations of the pilots in the cockpit and to the ground, are likely to record more than an explosion. The captain and first officer would not have seen a speeding missile coming their way. And the passengers, literally, never knew what hit them. The effect of being suddenly thrust into a depressurized situation at 33,000 feet means youre going to be possessed with only a couple seconds of useful consciousness before you black out. Even if the stunning effect of whatever explosion might have occurred here, hasnt already knocked you out. Reporter on the ground, everywhere you turn, clues of what brought this workhorse of the International Long distance air fleet down from 33,000 feet. When you see wreckage and people still strapped in their seats, along the path of five or ten miles, like we have here, it indicates that the airplane most definitely split up at higher altitude, and dumped not only people out, but the entire floor sections and sections of the fuselage. And thats indicative of an explosion. Reporter and nance says because so many of the pieces show no evidence of fire, that indicates an explosion from an outside source. Where it happened, points to a missile. This is a war zone. And people are firing at each other. And it is possible for somebody to mistake an airliner, even at 33,000 feet, for a hostile airplane. Reporter the ethnic russian opposition controls the Ukrainian Land where the plane crashed. And the rebels claim to have confiscated the crucial black boxes. Vowing to send them to russia. Former ntsb director tom haueter tells abc news, the data inside them cannot be altered without detection. Its very easy to tell if somebody has tampered with that data. So, im not overly concerned about that. The key is to get the data to the authorities as quickly as possible. Get the specialists on hand. And download the conversation. Reporter perhaps of more concern is the integrity of the crash site itself. In a war zone, maintaining a crime scene isnt always the first priority. Anytime you have an uncontrolled action site, parts vanish. Its just the way it is. We dont want that to happen here. Reporter a tenmile debris path, with clues, answers, and the victims that carry them, now all guarded by hostiles. Perhaps, even the people who shot them down. Im jim avila, in washington. When we come back, making headlines here at home, torrential flooding. In texas, an incredible wall of water swept through an entire town. And the cleanup from floods in colorado. Youre watching world news now. Breaking news in from washington state. Dozens of homes have been burned by fastmoving wildfires. An urgent evacuation notice has been issued for a small town and a hospital in the northern part of the satate where fires have burned 35 homes. People are being told to get out after wildfires destroyed two homes. From fires to floods, overtaking parts of texas. Theres a major cleanup under way today after brutal storms and flash floods. Heres abcs clayton sandell. Reporter the dallas area got served some texassized traffic nightmares. Nearly a foot of rain in just six hours near valley view. Drivers had to be rescued. Others abandoned their cars. Flooded roads shut traffic down for miles. At this store, you had to slosh to shop. Looks like were going to get another round of it. It may be pointless to start cleaning at this point. Reporter they are cleaning up in colorado. Rain flooded streets and soaked restaurants. Hail blasted car windows. Lost my back window. Reporter sirens warned people to get to higher ground. This really gives you an idea of the power of water. Yesterday, this channel was empty. There was only dirt here. But the floodwaters brought all of these giant boulders and rocks downstream. Some of them are as big as cars. This was Manitou Springs a year ago. Oh, my god. Reporter but this time, the waters were tamed by a 4 million project thats not even finished yet. Including this 20foothigh wall, meant to steer the deluge away from neighborhoods. Were extremely happy. Considering that the project is not completely built and what it did in protecting the homes. Reporter that was good news to nelly and john webster. They watched their town endure a few too many fires, floods and mudslides. The last three years. Couple of years have been humdingers. Reporter we may be drying out in colorado. But now, there are flash flood watches in parts of texas, oklahoma and arkansas. Clayton sandell, abc news, Manitou Springs, colorado. Heres a look at your friday forecast. Heavy rain from louisiana to the mississippi valley. Its going to be windy in the upper midwest and northern plains. Thunderstorms in the mountain west. 70s in the midwest. And from seattle to los angeles. 80s from new orleans to new york. And theyre off to the races in southern california. And the thoroughbreds arent the only ones drawing attention. Crazy hats took center stage for opening day at del mar. Well be right back. And clean the toilet. Now every time you go, lysol cleans for you. New lysol no mess max gives you max cleaning with every flush. While its fragrance gels release 4 weeks of max freshness. Thats what i like to hear. Someone cleaning the toilet for me. Lysol. Start healthing. You get used to food odors you think it smells fine, but your guests think it smells like this. sound effects febreze air effects works instantly to eliminate odors youve gone noseblind to. It smells so much better so you and your guests can breathe happy. She loves to shop online with her debit card. 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Least of all, the israeli and the palestinian people. Israel has to take the actions to defend its citizens, as any normal country would against terrorists. We are here to protest against the massacres that were conducted by israel against the palestinian civilian population of gaza. Were freezing the assets of several Russia Defense companies. We are blocking new financing of some of russias most important banks and energy companies. Ive never seen such a condensed devastation in such a short period of time. He was screaming that his wife drowned. And she was screaming the same thing over there. My husband and baby drowned. So, pretty happy reunion when we got them together. My voice and the voice of those in nigeria, and the voice of the parents, is more powerful than any weapon on this earth. We want the people who make a living in our game to be who they wish to be. Please know this, great things sorry. Great things can happen when you have the courage to be yourself. In order to lead people, you have to get to know them. And ive always tried to take the time to do that. I think i speak for everybody when i say, no one cares. They just want to know if youre running for president. Im just trying to figure out what it is about Comcast Service youre not liking that you dont want to keep. Why is it you dont want to keep that service . This phone call is a really, actually, amazing representative example of why i dont want to stay with comcast. And a quick recap of todays top stories. The shootdown of malaysian Airlines Flight 17 out of ukraine. The boeing 777 was carrying 298 passengers and crew. It was shot down by someone aiming at a military aircraft. The ukraine government is blaming prorussian rebels. And our other top story. The crisis in the middle east. Israel says one of its soldiers has been killed in the ground operation against hamas. Thousands of israeli tanks have rolled into gaza on a mission to destroy hamas rocket firing operations and take out tunnels used by the militants there. Dont miss our updates on facebook at wnnfans. Com. And on twitter. Coming up, though, more news from abc. Thanks for joining us for all the news this morning. Happening right now, disaster in the sky, the jumbo jet brought down by a missile. Nearly 300 on board. A grim scene. Debris scattered across miles in the countryside. From europe to asia, shocked and devastated families. The world wants to know who did it and why. Were live with breaking new details just coming in. Good friday morning to you. The mai the malaysian plane crash is just one of two stories were following. A soldier was killed in action. It happened during an intense ground operation