KIEV (REUTERS) - Ukraine is willing to hand over coordination of an investigation into the Malaysian airliner crash to international partners but Kiev is convinced the plane was shot down by "professionals", Ukraine's prime minister said on Monday.

"Ukraine is ready to hand over a coordinating role in the investigation into the tragedy to our Western partners. And the Netherlands could head that process," Arseny Yatseniuk told a news conference.

"At the moment, we have no doubt that the plane was shot down. The reason for it - a missile strike most likely from a BUK-M1 (SA-11 radar guided missile system). It is clear that this system could not be operated by drunk pro-Russian terrorists. There were professional people," he said, referring to Kiev's charge Moscow had a clear role in shooting down the plane.

The aircraft MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it lost contact with Air Traffic Control near the Ukraine-Russia border.

Rescuers found 251 bodies and 86 fragments of bodies by late on Sunday at the crash site.