Australian death toll up to 37 as Tony Abbott fears Ukraine rebels will frustrate MH17 crash investigation

THE number of passengers on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 who were Australian citizens and permanent residents has been revised up to 37.

THE number of passengers on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 who were Australian citizens and permanent residents has been revised up to 37.

A spokeswoman for Tony Abbott said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had advised that an additional permanent resident, understood to have lived in Western Australian, had been identified as a passenger on the flight.

“This takes the number of permanent residents that have been identified to date as passengers to nine,’’ the Prime Minister’s spokeswoman said. “Along with 28 Australian citizens, the total number of people who called Australia home is now 37.’’

DFAT is continuing to contact next of kin.

Earlier, Mr Abbott said he fears the chaos at the crash site of MH17 in east Ukraine would continue as Russian-backed rebels frustrated investigators and hampered the dignified treatment and recovery of bodies.

Clearly emotional, the Prime Minister said today these were “wrenching times’’ for Australians and there would hardly be anyone who had not been emotionally touched by the tragedy.

“You look at the faces of the dead and they’re your neighbours, they’re your friends, they could be your kids because let’s face it, we are a people who like to travel and my own daughters flew on MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe. So this is a tragedy which touches us deeply,’’ Mr Abbott said.

IN DEPTH: The MH17 disaster

The downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight on Friday as it flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur claimed the lives of 28 Australians and nine permanent residents.

“This is a horrific, a horrific crime and we will do what we can to ensure that people are treated with respect but that justice is done,’’ Mr Abbott said.

Using strong language, he said “Russia can’t wash its hand of this’’ because the tragedy happened in Russian-controlled territory, involved Russian-backed rebels who were probably using a Russian-supplied weapon.

OFFICIAL: How Russia handed missile to rebels

“There are excuses, there is blame shifting, there is hand washing going on and that’s not acceptable. It’s simply not acceptable,’’ Mr Abbott told the ABC’s Insiders program.

Australia is spearheading a push through the United Nations Security Council for a full, impartial and international investigation into the downing of the flight and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has flown to the United States.

Asked if Russia had indicated support for Australia’s resolution, Mr Abbott said: “My fear is that Russia will say the right thing but that on the ground interference with the site, interference with investigators, interference with the dignified treatment of bodies will continue.

“That’s my fear.’’

There have been two attempts by investigators to get on to the site, Mr Abbott said, the first was interrupted by gunfire and the second attempt was also hampered.

OBSERVERS: Gunfire as crash site visited

“So it is an absolutely chaotic site. The kinds of things that would normally be happening in an air crash site are simply not happening and this just makes it absolutely imperative, imperative that Australia do everything we can to recover the bodies to ensure that the site is secured, a proper investigation is done and then justice is secured,’’ he said.

Mr Abbott said there was no one in authority in charge on the ground and attempts to “establish a proper crash investigation site, attempts to secure the site, attempts to properly recover the bodies are being fairly continually frustrated and hampered by the Russian-backed rebels’’.

Mr Abbott said he had spoken overnight to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko who had invited Australia to fully participate in all aspects of the investigation and take part in the body recovery operation.

The Prime Minister also summoned the Russian Trade Minister Alexy Ulyukayeu, who was in Sydney for meetings connected to the G20, on Saturday to spell out Australia’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s handling of the situation.

“He was left in no uncertain terms our concerns and our demands that Russia fully assist this inquiry,’’ Mr Abbott said.

“The Russians, as everyone has seen over the last 48 hours, are trying to wash their hands of this but it is impossible for Russia to wash its hands of something which happened in what is effectively Russian-controlled territory. It seems at the hands of Russian-backed individuals, most likely with a Russian-supplied or facilitated weapon,’’ Mr Abbott said