WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the leading Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement about reports that a passenger plane crashed in the area near the Ukraine-Russia border:

“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of all those lost in today’s tragedy. While there may be a temptation to jump to conclusions about what happened, we don’t have enough information yet and we should avoid careless speculation. Right now, our role should be finding out if there were Americans on that flight, and working with Ukraine, Malaysia, and other partners around the world to figure out who or what was the cause. But, I will remind all interested parties, that we will get to the bottom of this and hold accountable any person, group, or nation responsible for this terrible calamity.”

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