September 1st 1983: Korean airliner 'shot down'

The United States has accused the USSR of shooting down a civilian airliner which is missing off Russia's eastern coast. All 269 people on board the Korean Airlines flight KAL 007 are presumed dead. Moscow has so far only admitted to an incident with an "unidentified aircraft" in Soviet airspace. The Boeing 747 was flying from the USA to Seoul via Anchorage. It is believed to have strayed north of its scheduled course towards the Soviet island of Sakhalin. The US Secretary of State, George Shultz, demanded a full explanation from Moscow. He told reporters he was confident the USSR was to blame.