A number of passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlines flight that was believed to have been shot down over Ukraine Thursday were delegates traveling to an international AIDS conference in Australia.

According to initial reports, as many as 108 people on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, were headed to the 20th International AIDS Conference, due to begin Sunday.

But the exact number of those on board who were attending the conference remains unconfirmed as the airline has yet to release a passenger manifest.

The International AIDS Society issued a statement Friday evening confirming the names of six colleagues who died aboard the plane.

In a statement, the AIDS 2014 organizers said they are "continuing to work with the authorities to clarify how the tragic loss of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 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."

Chris Beyrer, who will take over the presidency of the International AIDS Society at the end of the global conference next week, told the Washington Post Friday that after speaking to authorities he was hopeful that "the actual number is much smaller" than 108.

Beyrer told the Post that it appears that the numbers are "an order of magnitude smaller than what has been reported."