UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday expressed deep condolences over the crash of a Malaysian airlines flight, wherein all the 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board were feared killed, calling for a "full and transparent international investigation" into it.

"With respect to the Malaysia Airlines disaster today in Ukraine, I am closely monitoring the reports, along with the International Civil Aviation Organization," Ban told reporters here at the UN headquarters.

"There is clearly a need for a full and transparent international investigation," he said. "For the moment, I offer my deep condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and people of Malaysia."

A Malaysian flight crashed Thursday in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, with all the 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board reportedly having been killed.