Organisers of a major international AIDS conference being held in Melbourne have confirmed at least six delegates were killed in the Malaysia Airlines tragedy.
It was initially reported as many as 100 high-level researchers and participants were on board the ill-fated flight MH17, which was brought down in eastern Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile on Thursday (local time).
Yesterday, the International AIDS Society (IAS) confirmed its former Dutch president, Joep Lange, was killed in the crash.
IAS president and Nobel laureate Francoise Barre-Sinousi told a press conference this afternoon six delegates are confirmed as being on board, and two more delegates may have been on the flight.
She said the news is devastating for the research community, and a ‘moment of remembrance” would be held at the opening ceremony tomorrow night and a condolence book made available for people to leave tributes.
“The extent of our loss is hard to comprehend and express. Our colleagues were travelling because of their dedication to bringing an end to AIDS,” Ms Barre-Sinousi said.
“They were colleagues and friends for a very long time. It’s very hard for us.”
Responding to questions about why the conference will still go ahead, she said the decision was made after discussions among the delegates.
“We agreed that the colleagues we’ve lost committed their lives and their work to HIV-AIDS and they would want the conference to go ahead.”