ESTONIAN PRESIDENT SENDS CONDOLENCES TO ARMENIA
Baltic News Service
May 3, 2006 Wednesday 3:07 PM EET
Tallinn
Estonian President Arnold Ruutel has sent a message of condolences
to Armenian President Robert Kocharian in connection with the crash
of an Armenian passenger aircraft.
Ruutel expressed condolences on behalf of himself and the Estonian
people in connection with the accident above the Black Sea.
“It was with a feeling of deep sorrow that I received the news of the
dreadful accident with the Armenian passenger aircraft, in which more
than a hundred peopl lost their lives. I wish you and your people
strength to overcome this severe tragedy,” Ruutel said his message
of condolences.
An Airbus 320 of the Armenian aviation company Armavia en route from
Yerevan to Adler disappeared from radar screens at 2:15 local time
near Sochi.
According to foreign news agencies there were 85 Armenian, 25 Russian,
one Georgian and one Ukrainian citizen on board the plane.
All the 113 people were killed in the accident.
A representative of Armavia said that the technical condition of the
aircraft had been ideal and the crew well trained.
Referring to heavy rain, the airfield at first denied the aircraft
permission to land, but then changed its decision. The aircraft
attempted emergency landing in the airfield but fell into the sea
at a very sharp angle. The body of the aircraft lies at the depth of
about 300 meters.