World Bulletin / News Desk

Investigators have identified 18 more bodies from Malaysian Airlines MH17, the passenger jet shot down over eastern Ukraine in July.

The Netherlands Security and Justice Ministry said the number of identified bodies now stood at 211 of the 298 people aboard, including nationals from the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Britain, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand.

The flight crashed on July 17 close to Ukraine’s border with Russia en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing 283 passengers and 15 crew, including 193 Dutch nationals.

In a statement, the ministry said 11 of the recently identified bodies belonged to Dutch citizens but did not reveal nationalities of the other seven.

The families of the victims have been informed, said the statement, as nearly 200 specialists continue the investigation.

Dutch officials believe the plane was brought down by a surface-to-air missile but potential suspects, including pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian army, deny involvement.