US demands justice for 'unconscionable crime' of MH17: Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded on Tuesday that the people who shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine be brought to justice for their "unconscionable crime", AFP reports.

The plane, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 on board. The search for body parts is still not complete due to fighting around the crash site.

Pro-Russian separatists using a surface-to-air missile have been blamed for the disaster, using weapons the West believes were supplied by Moscow, although Russia denies this and has blamed Ukraine for the tragedy.

The Netherlands lost 193 citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents were among the dead.

"We affirm to Australia and the world that we absolutely demand justice for this unconscionable crime ... we will see this through together," Kerry said in Sydney after annual security talks.

"This is unconscionable on a huge international order. We don't want to see these kinds of things ever repeated again."

Kerry said the United States wanted to see a full investigation. Without naming Russia, he added: "This type of weapon (used) we have seen on our imagery... so really it is no mystery where it came from and where these weapons have come from.

"But we need a complete investigation to legitimise whatever steps we take going down the road."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been in the Netherlands this week and he again vowed to seek justice for the families of victims.

"We owe it to the dead, we owe it to the grieving families to bring them (the victims) home and to give them justice," he said.

Dutch, Australian and Malaysian forensic experts went to the crash site to retrieve body parts, but their search was suspended last Wednesday.

Investigators flew back to The Netherlands after it became too dangerous to stay in the area -- the scene of rising clashes between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists.

More than 220 coffins filled with remains have been taken to The Netherlands where the painstaking process of identifying the victims is underway.