The removal of MH17 flight wreckage has begun at the crash site in rebel-held eastern Ukraine, Dutch officials say.

The Malaysian Airlines plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine in July. All 298 people on board were killed.

Debris will be transported to the Netherlands for investigation, the Dutch Safety Board said.

Access to the site has previously been limited by the rebels, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The recovery operation was expected to take several days, the Dutch Safety Board said.

MH17 wreckage would assist “the investigation into the cause of the crash”, it said in a statement, adding that it intended to reconstruct a section of the aircraft.