An Indian couple, Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam, were among the 62 people killed early on Saturday after a Dubai airliner crashed and caught fire while landing in strong winds in the souther
An Indian couple, Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam, were among the 62 people killed early on Saturday after a Dubai airliner crashed and caught fire while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
The names of the Indians in the list put out by Russian authorities are Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. “Our mission is checking with the local university and Indian nationals for confirmation,” he said.
The Flydubai Boeing 737 was making its second attempt to land in bad weather when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed, leaving debris scattered across a wide area. There were 55 passengers and seven crew members on board at the time of the crash. Russian investigators confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed. The other passengers killed the accident were 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians and one Uzbek.
“Flydubai regrets to confirm that Flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident,” an airline statement said. Russia’s investigative committee confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed, agencies reported.
The plane, which had left Dubai at 11.50 pm IST, crashed at 6.20 am IST, the airline said. “We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected,” it said.
Local media showed footage of a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane went down. The authorities took more than an hour to bring the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry was quoted as saying by agencies.
The ministry said more than 700 rescuers and 100 vehicles were combing the area of the wreckage in driving wind and snow. Investigators confirmed one of the plane’s black boxes had been retrieved.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims after being briefed on the crash by his transport and emergency situations ministers, the Kremlin said.
Other flights were diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometres south of Rostov-on-Don.
