Officials at an Australian university have paid tribute to the two Leicestershire victims of flight MH17 who were due to start studies there.
Staff and students at the University of Western Australia (UWA) held a memorial service for Richard Mayne and Ben Pocock, who were both on their way to start a placement in Perth.
Richard, 20, from Western Park, Leicester, was studying maths and finance at Leeds University.
Ben, also 20, from Bristol, was a second year international business degree student at Loughborough University.
The service was also to pay tribute to Perth businessman and former UWA graduate Nick Norris, who was travelling on flight MH17 with his three grandchildren.
Paul Johnson, vice-chancellor at UWA, led a wreath-laying ceremony on the steps of Winthrop Hall at the university.
A UWA spokesman said: "About 30 staff and students, representing the executive attended the simple service to pay respects to alumnus Nick Norris and study abroad students Ben Pocock and Richard Mayne.
"Small posies were added to the wreath after the ceremony and two books of condolences, for Ben and Richard, were left in Winthrop Hall for a week and filled with messages."
He said Richard, a former pupil at Dixie Grammar School, in Market Bosworth, was due to continue his studies in finance and mathematics at UWA for two terms, which would have taken him to June 2015.
Ben was to study business and management for one term, which would have taken him to the end of November.
Mr Johnson said: "We join with the international community to rage against such senseless waste of lives, but it is hard not to feel impotent in the face of such tragedy.
"What we can do is to open our hearts to the students from Leeds and Loughborough universities, from where Richard and Ben were travelling.
"Some students from those institutions are already here, taking part in study abroad programmes and living in residential colleges at the edge of the campus.
"They need our support as they come to terms with their shock and sadness."
Richard and Ben, along with eight other Britons, died when MH17 was apparently shot down by a surface-to-air missile in Ukraine en-route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17.
In total, 298 people on board were killed.
