The Malaysian Embassy in Ukraine has confirmed the death of 43 Malaysian citizens, among them crewmembers, in the plane crash in the Donetsk region.

"We have same information, 43 persons, including the crew," an Embassy spokesman told Interfax-Ukraine.

He also said the Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer would come to Ukraine on Friday to partake in the crash investigation.

"We cannot provide the exact data. The identification is in progress; we are trying to find out what has happened, involving Malaysian specialists and closely interacting with the Ukrainian government," the spokesman said.

The spokesman also said that there was a condolence book at the embassy.

There is no information about the transportation of the bodies so far.