The Hague, April 23 (IANS): The Dutch repatriation mission in Ukraine has recovered human remains and belongings of victims of Malaysian Airlines plane MH17 that crashed with 298 people on board, mission leader Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said on Wednesday.

Wintery weather conditions had made it hard for the Netherlands to do recovery work in the area around the disaster site for months, but last week the repatriation mission resumed operation, Xinhua reported.

According to Aalbersberg, the work has progressed steadily, despite snow, rain and strong winds.

The goal of the new mission is to clear two burned sites, locations where large fire raged, and to search the area northwest of Petropavlivka. Due to the security situation in that district, a Dutch team has never been there before.

The mission will last as long as necessary, at least for some weeks.

According to the Dutch ministry of security and justice, the mission will make its best efforts to finalise the recovery of the last human remains, personal property and debris that may be left.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed in Ukraine with 298 people on board, 296 of them have been identified, on July 17 last year on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.