Netherlands was a nation in mourning Thursday — stunned that at least 154 of the 298 passengers who died in the horrific Malaysia Airlines crash were from the small European country.
“The dramatic news on Flight 17 can hardly be comprehended,” a rattled Prime Minister Mark Rutte said after rushing home from vacation in Germany. “I am shocked, and I am devastated.”
He called the crash “one of the very worst aviation disasters in Dutch history” and said his entire country of less than 17 million people was devastated.
“This beautiful summer day has ended in the blackest possible way,” he said.
World leaders called for an investigation into the crash, with Britain seeking an emergency UN meeting.
“This is another painful illustration of the reason why it is so urgent to end this [Ukraine] conflict,” said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
“The instability in the region caused by the separatists supported by Russia is creating a more and more dangerous situation,” he said.
Australia suffered the second-highest number of casualties, with at least 27 dead.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it would be an “unspeakable act” if the plane had been intentionally shot down by a missile and that the perpetrators should “swiftly be brought to justice.”
“It is a very, very sad time, made worse by reports that it might be a crime rather than an accident,” said Abbott.