Two Indians were among 62 killed on Saturday morning when a Boeing 737 crashed and burst into flames while landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia, according to officials.
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.
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 and leaving debris scattered across a wide area.
“A Boeing 737 crashed as it was coming into land. There were 62 people on board. They are all dead,” said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.
Other passengers killed in the accident include: 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainian and one from Uzbekistan.
The plane was operated by Emirati budget airline FlyDubai, which started operations in mid-2009.
The airline in an official statement said, “FlyDubai is deeply sorry to confirm the following information in relation to the tragic accident involving flight FZ981 which was flying from Dubai International (DXB) to Rostov on Don (ROV). Preliminary numbers indicate 55 passengers and seven crew on the Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft.”
(With PTI Inputs)