FlyDubai Plane Crash In Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Kills All 62 People Aboard

The plane was reportedly landing in bad weather.

A plane flying from Dubai has crashed in bad weather while landing in Russia, killing all 62 people on board.

The Boeing 737-800, operated by budget carrier FlyDubai, was landing in the city of Rostov-on-Don, about 600 miles south of Moscow, when it crashed at around 3.50am on Saturday, killing 55 passengers and seven crew members.

The plane was making its second attempt to land in high wind and poor visibility when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed and leaving debris scattered across a wide area, the Associated Press reported.

Open Image Modal
Relatives of the victims of the airplane crash mourn at the airport in Rostov-on-Don
SERGEI VENYAVSKY via Getty Images
Open Image Modal
Ambulances are seen outside the airport entrance following the crash
SERGEI VENYAVSKY via Getty Images

Vasily Golubev, governor of Rostov, told reporters: "By all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level."

He added most of those killed were Russian.

The plane crashed around 250 metres short of the runway and then caught fire.

Around 700 rescue workers were sent to the crash site and planes are being diverted from the runway.

Russian news network RT obtained CCTV footage that appeared to show the moment the plane came down and exploded.

 

In a statement, FlyDubai confirmed 55 passengers had been killed.

On its Facebook page, it said: "FlyDubai very much regrets to confirm that the accident involving flight number FZ981 at Rostov-on-Don earlier today has resulted in 55 passenger fatalities including 33 women, 18 men and 4 children.

"The nationalities of the deceased passengers include 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainians, 2 Indians and 1 Uzbekistani.

"We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected."

It added: "At this stage the focus of our efforts is on establishing the facts around the incident and providing all possible support to the authorities."

FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith, said in a statement: "We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the passengers and crew.

"Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved.

"We don't yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause.

"We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board."

FlyDubai is a budget carrier flying since 2009. This is its first fatal accident.