In Chicago, Shock And Disbelief At News Of MH17 Crash
(CBS) -- There was a universal reaction -- shock -- from an array of Chicago-area residents and visitors, as news spread that a Malaysia Airlines jet crashed in Ukraine, apparently shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
For people of Malaysian heritage, it's shocking to think this is the second tragedy to rock the airline in five months.
"I'm shocked. It's unthinkable that this would happen again," says Ikram Ismail of the Malaysian Association of Illinois.
Ukrainian-Americans were also reeling. Some blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the crash.
"There's a lot of evidence indicating that not only is he supplying armaments (to rebels), he's also supplying the people who know how to use those armaments," Oles Striltschuck of the Illinois Ukrainian Congress Committee said.
International travelers coming through O'Hare International Airport Thursday were on edge, once word spread about the airliner crash in Ukraine.
"Flying is a luxury and it's an amazing thing, and I hope we don't have to be afraid to do that," traveler Kim Furness tells CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez.
Maurice Beek, who came from Amsterdam, said the news gave him goosebumps.
"I'm shocked because there's going to be a lot of Dutch people on board because it's holiday season," he said.
