Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his condolences to India's leaders after a plane crash that left almost 160 people dead earlier on Saturday.
Air India Express said there were 166 people on board the Boeing 737 plane from Dubai that crashed at around 6:30 a.m. local time (01:00 GMT) at south India's Mangalore airport. The plane reportedly overshot the runway while landing amid poor visibility and was engulfed in flames.
The airline said eight people survived the crash.
"I was shaken by the news of the tragedy," Medvedev said in a message to his Indian counterpart Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Together with the Indian people we mourn the many victims," the message went on. "I ask you to pass on my condolences to the families and friends of those who perished and my wishes for a speedy recovery to those people injured."
Initial reports said one of the pilots of the plane was a Russian national. However Air India have now confirmed that the pilots were from India and Serbia.
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti)
