THE HAGUE, July 18 -- Dutch Senator Willem Witteveen and renowned AIDS researcher Joep Lange were killed in the MH17 plane crash in Ukraine, local media reported Friday.

Witteveen, born in 1952, entered the Senate in January last year on behalf of the Labor Party PvdA. From 1999 to 2007, he was also a member of the Senate. He was professor of jurisprudence at the University of Tilburg since 1990.

Witteveen was a son of former finance minister Johan Witteveen (VVD). He died along with his wife and daughter in the plane crash and leaves behind a son.

Dutch media also reported that AIDS researcher Joep Lange died in the crash.

Lange, born in 1954, was the former International AIDS Society president. He was on his way to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia due to begin on Sunday.

Lange's latest functions were professor of medicine, head of the department of global health, at the Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam and executive scientific director of the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD).

The Malaysian airliner flight MH17, with 298 people on board, crashed Thursday in eastern Ukraine, with no survivors found so far.

At least 173 Dutch citizens are reported to have died in the crash, but a full passenger list is not available yet.