Jiang Expresses Condolences Over Russian Plane CrashChinese President Jiang Zemin on Thursday expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, over the crash of a Russian airliner with 65 passengers and 12 crew members aboard.In his message of condolences, Jiang said he was very concerned with the disaster. "On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in my own name, I express condolences to you, and through you, to the families of those on board on the plane," he said. Russian Tu-154 Passenger Plane CrashesA Russian Tu-154 aircraft crashed Thursday into the Black Sea coast off Russia, with more than 70 people believed on board, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said.At least 65 passengers, including two children, 10 crew members and two aviation engineers were believed to be on board the plane, which went down at about 13:35 Moscow time (0935 GMT) 185 kilometers off Russian coastal city of Adler, Interfax said. The plane is on a flight from the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv to the Russian Siberian city of Novosibirsk. It belonged to the Sibir Airlines, based in Novosibirsk. The news agency quoted the Israeli Ben Gurion Airport as saying that all passengers on board were Israelis. It had made a stopover in Burgas in Bulgaria, where it is believed had picked more passengers. |
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