The next of kin of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in Ukraine will receive a $50,000 (€37,000) advance on the eventual compensation, the company said on Friday.

The $50,000 advance is separate from the $5,000 the next of kin have already received. That amount was a goodwill payment to cover any initial costs.

The final amount of compensation is likely to take a long while to calculate, lawyer Jan van Zuuren said on behalf of Malaysia Airlines. This is why the company is making the advance.

Next of kin have been informed.

Identification

Also on Friday it was announced that 21 more victims have been identified, bringing the total to 23. Sixteen of the 21 were Dutch nationals.

Of the others, two came from Malaysia, and one each from Germany, Canada and the UK.