Malaysia Airlines has settled damages with families of most victims of the MH17 crash, Veeru Mewa, the lawyer representing about 165 of the victims said after families gathered near Schiphol, Amsterdam, to mark two years since the flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that no further details have been divulged as parties involved in the settlement have agreed to secrecy.

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Mewa, an Amsterdam-based lawyer, said, "Talks are still ongoing for the rest of the victims' relatives." According to the Montreal Convention, which regulates air travel, airlines must pay damages of up to $150,000 (£109,000, €130,000) regardless of the circumstances of the crash. 17 July, Sunday, also marked the deadline for legal action under the convention.

MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2014, crashed in territory held by pro-Russian separatists killing all 298 people, including crew and passengers, most of whom were Dutch. It was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile, a report by the Dutch Safety board said in 2015. The report did not specify who was responsible for firing the missile.

In the south-eastern Ukrainian village of Petropavlivka, about 60 people gathered on 17 July, to hold a vigil in memory of the victims at the site of the plane crash, where remains and belongings of some victims fell to the ground.

Village council head Natalia Voloshina, said: "Some of the relatives of people who were killed phoned us and asked us to find things that were valuable for them, for example, the toys that belonged to children aboard."

Hundreds of relatives of the victims gathered in the Dutch town of Vijfhuizen, close to Schiphol airport, where a memorial is set to be unveiled next year. The mourners sang songs, read out poems and the names of all 298 victims and called for healing at the gathering.

Evert van Zijtvelt, who lost his 18-year-old son Robert Jan and 19-year-old daughter Frederique to the tragedy, said, "It's time to let the sun back in."

Chief monitor in Ukraine for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Ertugrul Apakan, said on Sunday, "The memory of those who perished is a reminder to us all that peace is precious and life sacrosanct."