A Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operated by low cost airline FlyDubai crashed while attempting to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, killing all 62 passengers, including two Indians. The flight was en route from Dubai and had been circling the airport for up to two hours after an initial aborted landing attempt, according to Russian news reports. There were high winds in the area at the time.
The plane was coming in for a second attempt to land at 3 a.m. when it plunged to the ground and burst into flames. The crash occurred inside the airport’s perimeter, about 250 metres short of the runway.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said the two Indians who appeared on a list put out by the Russian authorities are Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam.
According to Flydubai - an Emirati budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009 the jet was carrying 55 passengers 33 women, 18 men, four children and seven crew members, CNN reported. Initial reports suggested that all passengers on board were Russians; however, the Emergencies Ministry later confirmed that 11 foreigners were on board, including all the crew members.
FlyDubai said the passengers included 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani. “While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors,” FlyDubai said on the airline’s Facebook page.
Speaking about the incident, FlyDubai chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith said: “Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board.
“Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved. We don’t yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause,” he said.
The airport will remain closed until Sunday, and medics and psychologists were on standby to assist family members, the Emergencies Ministry said. About 700 people were involved in the rescue operation.