Fly Dubai plane crash kills 62 in Russian city of Rostov-on-Don
Fifty-five passengers and seven cabin crew were on board the Boeing 737-800 traveling from from Dubai when the plane crashed and burst into flames early on Saturday morning. There were no survivors.
“A Boeing 737 slammed as it was coming into area. There were 61 individuals on board. They are all dead,” said a representative from the local services, cited by the authority TASS news office.
The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to an official statement from the emergencies ministry.
Emirates-based Fly Dubai affirmed that flight FZ981 had crashed on landing. It said the plane had taken off from Dubai international air terminal at 18:20GMT and was headed for Rostov-on-Don. It was due to arrive at 22:40GMT.
Airline’s officials are in the process of verifying passengers on-board. Initial information reveals that 33 women, 18 men, four children and seven crew members were on board.
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The airline authorities have confirmed the nationalities, as 44 Russian, 8 Ukrainian, two Indian, on one person from Uzbekistan.
Fly Dubai’s official Facebook page reports, “While we are still awaiting final confirmation, we have to report with great sadness that we there are no survivors,”
Talking about the incident, Fly Dubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: “Our essential concern is for the families of the travelers and crew who were on board.
“Everybody at Fly Dubai is in shock and our hearts go out to the families and companions of those who passed away. We don’t yet know every single detail of the accident however we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause.”
