The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Hajah Haminah, on Sunday conveyed their condolences to the families of the passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 which crashed in Ukraine last Thursday.

Their Majesties also expressed deep grief over the tragedy that had befallen the aircraft that was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 298 passengers and crew.

Ukrainian authorities reportedly said they believed the Boeing 777 was shot down.

"Indeed, the nation is saddened by this tragedy," Tuanku Abdul Halim and Tuanku Hajah Haminah said in a statement issued here.

Their Majesties urged Malaysians to pray for the families of the victims to be given the strength and fortitude to face this most difficult moment.

Tuanku Abdul Halim and Tuanku Hajah Haminah expressed their thanks to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the government for the efforts being undertaken through cooperation with various parties to find out the cause of the incident.