The bodies of the MH17 victims, including up to 39 Australian citizens and residents, will be transferred to Amsterdam as soon as possible, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says.

Some 251 bodies are currently in refrigerated trains in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine.

Mr Yatsenyuk said on Monday the “bloody guerillas don’t allow the train to leave” the station at Torez.

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But when they do, the Ukrainian government plans to send the victims’ remains to the Netherlands.

“We are ready to transfer all the bodies directly to Amsterdam,” the prime minister told reporters in Kiev, adding the Dutch had “perfect forensic expertise” to identify the bodies.

The Netherlands will lead the identification process working with the international community and Ukrainian authorities.

Thirty-one international investigators have flown to Kharkiv within the last few hours including “three representatives of the Australian embassy”.

Kharkiv is closer to the crash site than Kiev but still within Kiev-controlled territory.

It’s where an international co-ordination centre is being established.