WHO loses spokesperson in flight MH17 crash

GENEVA - The World Heath Organization (WHO) on Friday confirmed that one of its spokespersons, Glenn Thomas, died in the Malaysian airlines MH17 crash.

Special: Malaysia Airlines plane crashes in Ukraine

"It is with deep sadness that we have to inform you that WHO lost one of our colleagues on the Malaysian airlines air crash yesterday," a WHO spokesperson told a press conference.

Thomas, 49, from Britain, was among the 298 people on board MH17 traveling to Melbourne for the International AIDS Conference, due to begin on Sunday.

"We were able to confirm, as far as we know, there was no other UN staff on that flight," the WHO spokesperson added.

Among the other delegates aboard the plane was Joep Lange, a leading AIDS researcher and former president of the International AIDS Society (IAS).

The International AIDS Society that convened the 20th International AIDS Conference said in a statement that "it is continuing to work with the authorities to clarify how the tragic loss of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 impacts our conference delegates, our conference partners, and our community as a whole."

"In recognition of our colleagues' dedication to the fight against HIV/AIDS, the conference will go ahead as planned and will include opportunities to reflect and remember those we have lost," it noted.

A Malaysian Airlines passenger jet crashed in eastern Ukraine Thursday en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, with all people onboard killed. Most of the dead were from the Netherlands.