THE HAGUE, July 18 (Xinhua) -- A Dutch Safety Board team will travel to Ukraine to cooperate with an international research team to investigate the circumstances and cause of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a Dutch official said Friday.

Dutch Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten made the announcement at a press conference here.

He did not draw a conclusion yet about the cause of the disaster.

"Based on our current information, the plane was shot down, but it is important to find out what exactly happened," he said. "Research should determine the exact cause."

The Dutch minister said as part of an international research team, the Dutch professionals want to help with research on the location where the plane came down.

"We want to know what the cause is, the exact passenger list and the flying route," he said.

According to latest information, 173 Dutch citizens died in the crash.

"This number may still rise," said Opstelten. "The identity of all the victims is not yet known. Right now our concern is the families. All people in the Netherlands are mourning."