Pathologist Roger Guard and his wife, GP Jill Guard, are among seven Queenslanders who have died in the MH17 plane crash.

The Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

Dr Guard, 67, had been head of pathology at Toowoomba Hospital, west of Brisbane, and had been employed by Queensland Health for 44 years.

The couple had three children and two grandchildren.

Their son Paul Guard has told the ABC he was absolutely devastated.

Earlier on Friday, Premier Campbell Newman said nine Queenslanders were on the Malaysia Airlines flight, but a statement from the Prime Minister's office on Friday night revised the Queensland toll to seven.

Qld family hit by both MH17 and MH370 tragedies

It was also revealed a central Queensland family has been hit by both Malaysia Airlines tragedies this year.

Irene and George Burrows, from Biloela, are still mourning their son Rodney and his wife Mary who were on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared without trace over the southern Indian Ocean in March.

Their step-granddaughter Maree Rizk and her husband Albert, from Sunbury near Melbourne, were among the Australians killed on flight MH17.

Mr and Mrs Rizk were travelling home from a month-long holiday with friends in Europe.

Another Queensland victim has been named as Helena Sidelik, who worked as a personal trainer at Burleigh Heads, in the Gold Coast's south.

Vision Personal Training posted on their Facebook page that Ms Sidelik was returning from a European holiday.

"It is with great sadness and remorse that we have to say goodbye to our much loved family member of Vision Burleigh - Helena, Big H, Mona, aunty H," the post said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said 28 Australians are now known to have died in the crash, and that there was still a chance that number could rise.

Qld doctors "deeply generous people"

Paul Guard said he immediately suspected the worst about his parents when he heard the news of MH17.

"We're all very devastated," he said.

Roger and Jill Guard leaving for their European holiday at Brisbane Airport on 1 June, 2014. ( Supplied )

"At the moment we're mainly prioritised about looking after each other, so we're at my sister's house and we're basically trying to process the information.

"They were extraordinary, loving grandparents and we're all just trying to come to terms with the loss I suppose.

"We were watching the news this morning and then checked their itinerary and found that they were likely to have been on the plane.

"We then called DFAT and the hotline and they then got back to us and confirmed that they were on the manifest for the plane."

Mr Guard has also paid tribute to his mother Jill and father Roger in a statement he sent to the ABC.

"Roger and Jill Guard were loving and devoted parents and grandparents - their family meant everything to them," the statement read.

"We remember them first as the most wonderful parents and grandparents imaginable.

"They were utterly devoted to my sister, brother and I and they loved their two grandchildren dearly.

Mr Guard remembers his father as a "scientist to the core".

"He was an extremely loving father and on his weekends and holidays he encouraged us to do outdoor activities such as running and bushwalking," the statement read.

"Jill was an incredible mother. Not only to her own children, but to the many other relatives and friends who spent time at our home and were treated as extra members of the family."

Toowoomba Hospital Foundation CEO Peter Rookas said the world has lost some "brilliant people".

"A great community man, Roger is the president of the Toowoomba Road Runners and the Road Runners support our hospital with donations each year and Roger has been so much a part of that.

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"It's surreal, I just can't believe it and his lovely wife Jill, they are great members of the community and it's just so sad."

Mr Rookas said Dr Guard was a key member of the Toowoomba community and assisted in the aftermath of the 2011 floods.

"Roger was a key executive of the hospital arm in that regard and of course the tsunami, the inland tsunami of 2011 will never be forgotten," he said.

"Roger worked tirelessly during that time providing every assistance he could and obviously before the inquiry."

Flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it came down in rebel-held territory near Ukraine's border with Russia.

'Chilling, sickening' attack, Premier says

The Premier said the number of Queensland victims may rise as more information becomes available.

"It's chilling, it's sickening. It's hard not to be incredibly emotional and angry about it as well," he said, holding back tears.

"What I want to say today is that my thoughts and prayers are with all Queenslanders who have been touched by this tragedy and there will be many people - this is a small state - who have lost loved ones and I think the impacts will be far reaching across our state.

"The Government will do everything we possibly can and we will continue to work for the [victims'] families and friends."

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Mr Newman said his own daughters had recently flown through Ukraine airspace, one of them on a Malaysia Airlines flight.

"I think we should hold back and think about the people who need our support," he said.

As a former army major, Mr Newman said it was too soon to attribute blame for the shooting down of a civilian aircraft.

"It does appear to be a crime but that is why I support what the Prime Minister has said - there needs to be a full international inquiry into what has occurred."

"I call on all the parties in that conflict to ensure that they provide completely unrestricted safe access to the international investigators who should be on the scene as soon as possible."

Mr Newman also told reporters it was too early to discuss political ramifications for the G20 Leaders Summit to be held in Brisbane later this year.