ABIDJAN , Ivory Coast : At least four French nationals were on board a Malaysia Airlines flight that crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

“A probe must be immediately launched into this major tragedy,” he added, speaking during an official visit to Ivory Coast.

President Francois Hollande for his part said in a statement that he was “extremely saddened” by the disaster and expressed solidarity with families of the victims. -AFP