PM Wong, Vivian express condolences to Indian leaders over Air India crash
Rescue officials are seen near the wreckage of Air India Flight 171 after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12. PHOTO: AFP
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SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have conveyed their condolences to their counterparts in India over the Air India plane crash that killed more than 260 people on June 12.
In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 13, PM Wong said he was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic crash and sent his condolences to the families and loved ones of the crash victims.
'In this time of sorrow, Singapore stands in solidarity with the Republic of India and the countries whose citizens were impacted by the devastating incident,' he wrote.
Air India said there were 242 people, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, a Canadian and 12 crew members, aboard the AI171 flight bound for London's Gatwick airport.
Dr Balakrishnan wrote in his letter to Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar that his sympathies were with the people of India and the families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.
There was one survivor, a British national from Leicester, from the crash. But dozens more on the ground died when the jet ploughed into a medical staff hostel on June 12.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in Ahmedabad, western India.
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