The number of Dutch nationals killed in Thursday’s Malaysian Airways plane crash increased to 189 on Friday afternoon, after all but four of the passengers’ nationalities were confirmed.

The dead include Antoine van Veldhuizen, director of the expat website group Expatica.com, along with his wife Simone and two small boys. The family were going on holiday.

A team of Dutch accident investigators are heading to Ukraine to help with the investigation into Thursday’s Malaysian Airlines crash, justice minister Ivo Opstelten said on Friday.

Opstelten, speaking on behalf of the cabinet, said the Dutch forensics team would form part of an international investigation into the crash. Prime minister Mark Rutte will make a statement later on Friday.

Meanwhile, more details are emerging about the 189 Dutch nationals who died in the crash.

Senator

Labour senator Willem Witteveen was also killed, as was Aids researcher Joep Lange, who was one of a number of people on their way to an Aids conference in Melbourne. Pim de Kuijer of Stop Aids Now is also thought to be among the dead.

So far, 12,000 people have signed an online condolence register for the victims, who include up to 80 children. Many of the dead were families off on their summer holidays.

Six of the dead – parents and their four children – come from the tiny village of Neerkant in Brabant. A teddy bear and a bunch of flowers outside their home are testament to the loss, Nos television said.

The Boeing 777 was carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew when it crashed close to the Russian border, possibly brought down by a missile.

So far 181 bodies have been recovered.

At Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport a place has been set aside for flowers. Attached to one bunch is a card reading: ‘Dearest Therese, today we are going to follow in the footsteps of you and your family to Costa Rica. With your books on holiday. You went to Malaysia this year… unbelievable. So sad. Gerrit.