- NEW: Large numbers of bodies have been put on refrigerated train cars, observers say
- The Ukrainian government says searchers have found 196 bodies
- "Russia can't wash its hands of this," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says
- International observer: "There doesn't seem to be one commander in charge"
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Hrabove, Ukraine (CNN) -- Searchers for the Ukrainian government have found 196 bodies at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, an official agency reported Sunday.
The State Emergency Service said the search in a remote area of eastern Ukraine roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border, was being "complicated by armed separatists at the site who hinder the work of SES units."
It said that 380 official staff are taking part in the search for the remains of the 298 people who were on board MH17, covering an area stretching across 34 square kilometers (13 square miles).
Full passenger manifest (PDF)
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Friends of Nur Shazana Mohamed, a crew member aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, take part in a special remembrance prayer at a mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on July 19. The United States says a surface-to-air missile took down the Boeing 777 on Thursday as it was flying from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people aboard. Ukrainian officials have accused pro-Russian rebels of downing the jet, but Russia blames Ukraine's recent military operations against the rebels. 
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signs a condolence register at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Friday, July 18, 2014, in memory of the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. "I want to see results in the form of unimpeded access and rapid recovery," Rutte said in a press briefing. "This is now priority number one." 
People pray for the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 at a church outside Kuala Lumpur on Friday, July 18. 
A Berlin woman places a candle at a memorial for the victims on July 18. 
People gather to mourn the victims in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 18. 
Akmar Binti Mohd Noor, whose sister was onboard Flight 17, cries outside the family holding area at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 18. 
A man prays at a memorial in front of the Dutch Embassy in Kiev on July 18. 
Dutch cyclists wear a black armband in honor of the crash victims on the 13th stage of the Tour de France between Saint-Etienne and Chamrousse on July 18. 
Dutch Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten observes a moment of silence after signing a condolence book in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 18. 
Candlelight prayers honor the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 at a church outside Kuala Lumpur on July 18. 
Floral tributes adorn the entrance to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. in memory of the victims. 
A Dutch flag flies at half-staff in The Hague on July 18. 
People place flowers in front of the Dutch Embassy in Moscow on July 18. 
Students attend a prayer on July 18 in Central Java, Indonesia, for their teacher John Paulissen, who was a passenger on Flight 17. 
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and members of his government observe a moment of silence on July 17. 
People pay tribute to the victims outside the Dutch Embassy in Kiev on July 17. 
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Photos: Reaction to MH17 
Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, July 19. The United States says a surface-to-air missile took down the Boeing 777 on Thursday as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, killing all 298 people aboard. Ukrainian officials have accused pro-Russian rebels of downing the jet, but Russia blames Ukraine's recent military operations against the rebels. 
Workers load bodies of victims on a truck at the remote crash site on July 19. 
Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19 as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter. 
A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19. 
A group of coal miners takes a break on July 19 after searching fields looking for victims and debris. 
Coal miners walk through fields at the crash site on July 19 in an effort to locate debris and the remains of victims. 
A memorial of flowers and stuffed toys has grown at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on July 19 in eastern Ukraine. 
A rebel soldier guards debris at the crash site. 
A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19. 
An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo at the crash site on July 19. 
Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19. 
Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19. 
A woman looks at wreckage at the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash site on July 19. 
Pro-Russian fighters stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine on Friday, July 18. 
A woman walks through the debris field on July 18. 
Pro-Russia rebels stand guard at the crash site. 
Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Urkaine on July 18. International inspectors are headed to the crash site to search for the plane's flight data recorders. 
A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada. 
A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18. 
Coal miners search the crash site. 
Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18 in rebel-held eastern Ukraine. 
People search for bodies of passengers on July 18. 
A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18. The diversity of the victims' nationalities has turned the crash into a global tragedy. 
Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18. 
People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17. 
People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash. 
Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border. 
Fire engines arrive at the crash site. 
A man stands next to wreckage. 
Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine. 
Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands. 
A large piece of the plane lies on the ground. 
Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site. 
A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam where more information will be given regarding the flight. 
Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia. 
Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17. 
A man inspects debris from the plane. 
Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17. 
A man talks with security at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on July 17. 
Wreckage burns in Ukraine. 
A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner that crashed July 17 in Ukraine. 
People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine. This image was posted to Twitter. 
People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter. 
A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter. 
A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter. 
An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter. 
A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter. 
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Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine 
Deadly airline disasters 
MH370 partner: 'Wounds opened up again' They were being helped by busloads of volunteers from local coal mines who fanned out across the wheat fields where the bodies and debris from the plane fell to earth on Thursday.
The situation at the crash site showed some small signs of improvement, with more control and more activity. But it still remained disorganized in many respects, and the area was still under the control of pro-Russian rebels.
Many of the bodies that had littered the fields previously were gone by late morning Sunday as CNN teams drove through the crash site, but it was not immediately clear where they had been taken.
Government emergency workers prevented vehicles from driving up the road to the main crash site. But people could still roam around the fields on foot. The whereabouts of the plane's flight recorders is still unknown.
Large numbers of bodies have been collected on refrigerated train cars at a station near the crash site, international observers told CNN.
The observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said they have been told the bodies are from the crashed plane but that they can't independently confirm that.
The 14-member OSCE team said the train will remain in place until international specialists arrive. It was not clear when that would be or where the train might take bodies.
Rebels control area
Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for observers from the OSCE, said Saturday that the group had seen men moving an unknown number of body bags on Saturday, but that it wasn't clear who the men were.
It's hard to get reliable information because several groups of pro-Russian rebels, some of them masked, control the checkpoints leading to the crash site.
"There doesn't seem to be one commander in charge," Bociurkiw told CNN.
Rebels are suspected of shooting down the plane with a Russian-made surface-to-air missile on Thursday.
Three air crash investigators from Ukraine accompanied the OSCE observers but didn't have much time to do their work, Bociurkiw said. "They need a lot more time and a lot more freedom of access," Bociurkiw said.
Pressure on Putin
Governments from around the world have expressed outrage at the disorderly situation at the crash site and called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence on the pro-Russian rebels.
"There are multiple reports of bodies being removed, parts of the plane and other debris being hauled away, and potential evidence tampered with," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. "This is unacceptable and an affront to all those who lost loved ones and to the dignity the victims deserve."
British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote a Sunday Times opinion article urging Putin to find a way to make the crash site more accessible and calm the strife between Ukraine and the rebels.
"If President Putin does not change his approach to Ukraine, then Europe and the West must fundamentally change our approach to Russia," Cameron wrote. Ten of the passengers on MH17, which was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, were British.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose country had 27 citizens on the plane, added to the pressure on Putin.
Describing the downing of the passenger jet as "a horrific crime," Abbott said he had summoned Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov, who is visiting Australia, and "made crystal clear my concerns and dissatisfaction with the way this has been handled."
"Russian controlled territory, Russian-backed rebels, quite likely a Russian supplied weapon," Abbott said in a television interview Sunday. "Russia can't wash its hands of this."
'Intensive' conversation
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have spoken out, as well.
"I want to see results in the form of unhindered access and a speedy recovery of the victims' remains," Rutte said Saturday. Nearly two-thirds of the people on the jetliner were Dutch.
Rutte told reporters he had "an extremely intensive telephone conversation" with Putin on Saturday in which he told the Russian leader that "the window of opportunity to show the world that he intends to help is closing rapidly."
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, to urge Moscow to get the rebels to stop fighting and talk peace, and also provide full access to the crash site.
The United States has said evidence suggests a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from the rebel territory took down the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 with citizens from more than 10 nations aboard.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that Russia likely bears some of the responsibility, noting rebel fighters couldn't have operated the missile "without sophisticated equipment and sophisticated training, and that is coming from Russia."
U.S. officials believe the missile systems may have been moved back across the border into Russia, CNN foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott said Saturday.
Russia has denied any involvement, and Putin said Ukraine's military campaign against the rebels was to blame. He also has called for a "thorough and objective investigation" of the crash.
Finger-pointing
Since the crash, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible and what has been done since.
Ukrainian officials have said that a Russian-made Buk M1 missile system, brought into eastern Ukraine from Russia, had shot down the Malaysian airline.
The Ukrainian government has accused the rebels of removing debris and 38 bodies from the scene as part of an attempt to cover up what happened.
The local head of the rebels, Alexander Borodai, has rejected accusations that his forces shot down the plane, telling reporters that the rebels lacked the firepower to hit an aircraft so high up.
Borodai, who calls himself the prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, also denied that his forces removed any bodies.
Where are the black boxes?
One key issue for investigators is the location of the plane's flight data recorders, which may hold crucial data.
The Ukrainian government said Friday that the so-called black boxes are still in Ukrainian territory but didn't clarify whether they were in Ukraine's possession.
Bociurkiw of the OSCE said no one at the crash site was able to tell his people where the recorders might be.
Malaysian investigators touched down in Kiev on Saturday to try to get the bottom of what happened to the jetliner.
But Malaysia's official news agency Bernama said they were still negotiating with pro-Russian rebels over access for their 131-member team.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Saturday in Kuala Lumpur that Malaysia was "deeply concerned that the crash site has not yet been properly secured."
"There are indications that vital evidence has not been preserved in place," he said.
Law enforcement officials from the Netherlands, the United States and Australia have arrived or are being sent to Ukraine to work with the investigation, which is being led by the Ukrainian government in Kiev.
Malaysia Airlines said Sunday that it will retire the flight number MH17 for the route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, replacing it with the code MH19.
The change, which will take effect Friday, is being made "out of respect for the crew and passengers," the airline said.
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CNN's Phil Black reported from Hrabove, Ralph Ellis reported and wrote from Atlanta, and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Victoria Eastwood, Laura Smith-Spark, Tom Cohen, Nic Robertson, Ivan Watson, John Raedler, Barbara Starr, Pam Brown and Jim Sciutto contributed to this report, as did journalists Victoria Butenko and Azad Safarov.
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