AMSTERDAM (REUTERS) - Experts from the Netherlands and Australia tried on Thursday to reach the crash site in eastern Ukraine of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 after several failed attempts this week.

Members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were also part of a team that was trying to navigate a safe route to the area where the plane went down on July 17, killing all 298 passengers and crew. "The goal is to reach the spot where MH17 crashed and evaluate safety on the route from Donetsk," the Dutch team said in a statement.

Although most of the bodies have been recovered from the site, there are still human remains and personal belongings to be secured.

The area has been inaccessible all week due to fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, who have accused rebels of placing land mines to prevent a proper investigation.