Putin sends condolences over air crash in China

MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping following the crash of a passenger plane on China.

"Kindly accept our sincerest condolences over the deaths of passengers and crew on a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou. The people of Russia share the grief of those who have lost their family members and friends in this tragedy," Putin said in a condolence message, which was published on the Kremlin website on Monday.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, for his part, has also sent condolences to Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang over the air crash.

"We share the grief and pain of the friendly Chinese people. I ask you to convey these words of sympathy and compassion to the families and friends of the victims of this terrible tragedy," Mishustin said.

It was reported earlier on Monday that a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane with 133 people on board crashed in China's southern Guangxi region. The cause of the accident is not yet known.