Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein says the search team is unable to gain entry into the MH17 crash site as the area is still a war zone. ― Malay Mail pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — The Defence Ministry and its counterparts in two countries are determined to gain access to the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site in Donetsk to locate the remains of more victims, including 12 Malaysians.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said a team including police officers was waiting for the green light from Kiev to scour a sprawling site filled with debris and the remains of some of the 298 passengers and crew of MH17.

“We are working towards re-entering the crash site as soon as possible to look for the remaining victims,” he said.

“At this point, we are unable to gain entry into the site as the area is still a war zone.”

Hishammuddin said the remains of 12 Malaysians had yet to be found but the authorities were keeping tabs on developments at the crash site with their counterparts in Amsterdam and Kiev.

“Even the remains of my step-grandmother (Puan Sri Siti Amirah Kusuma) have not been identified,” he said.

A team of 87 Malaysian investigators and police led by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar left for Ukraine on July 31 but were unable to gain access to the crash site because of the conflict in the country.

The team returned home on August 12.

Investigations at the crash site have been suspended since August 7 after fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukraine forces escalated.

Hishammuddin also said a third group of Malaysian victims would be brought home on August 30 and accorded full military honours.

The remains of the first group of 20 victims — 11 passengers and nine crew members — were brought home from Amsterdam in a special flight on Friday.

A second group comprising two passengers and a cabin crew member returned on Sunday.

On developments regarding the missing MH370, Hishammuddin said a delegation led by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai would leave for Canberra next week to sign a trilateral agreement with the Australian government, which included cost sharing, on the search for the plane.

“The Defence Ministry will continue to lend its support to the families of Flight MH370 as we have not forgotten them,” he said.

“We will also be narrowing the search area with help of satellite and earlier data.

“If it is not fruitful, we will continue to look for the plane in different areas.”

He said the ministry was working to get new search and rescue equipment for the search.