Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Air France jetliner tragedy and said India shares the pain and sorrow.
"On behalf of the people and Government of India, I convey our most sincere condolences on the terrible incident which has affected the lives of so many innocent men, women and children," he said in separate letters to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Singh said he was "deeply distressed" to hear about the tragedy that has struck Air France's flight AF 447 which was on its way from Brazil to France.
"Our best wishes and prayers are with you at this moment," the Prime Minister said.
"We pray for strength to the families whose loved ones were travelling on the flight to bear this senseless and tragic loss, and we share your pain and sorrow," he added.
An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris is believed to have crashed into the Atlantic yesterday after suffering an electrical failure in a fierce storm.
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