Singapore leaders send condolences over crashed China Eastern Airlines flight
SINGAPORE: President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have conveyed their condolences to Chinese leaders on the crash of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Friday (Mar 25).
In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Madam Halimah said that she was “deeply saddened” and extended her "heartfelt condolences to the people of China during this difficult period" on behalf of Singaporeans.
“Our thoughts go out to the families and loved ones of those involved in this tragedy,” she said.
The aircraft with 132 people on board crashed into the mountains in China's southern Guangxi region on Monday while on a flight from the city of Kunming to Guangzhou after a sudden descent from cruising altitude.
No survivors have been found so far as search and rescue work entered its fourth day.
Rescuers recovered the first of two black boxes on Wednesday. The device, the plane's cockpit voice recorder, has been sent to Beijing. The second black box has yet to be found, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
In his letter to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Mr Lee expressed “great sadness” over the crash and extended his “deepest condolences” to the families and loved ones of those on board the flight on behalf of the Singapore Government.
“Our thoughts are with them and with the people of China in this time of grief,” he said.
Dr Balakrishnan also extended his “heartfelt sympathies” in a letter to Chinese state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi.
“My condolences go out to the affected families and those who lost loved ones on the flight,” he said.
MFA said on Tuesday that it was monitoring the crash situation closely and is in contact with the Chinese authorities.
A foreign ministry spokesperson also said that they have “reached out to Singaporeans in Yunnan and Guangzhou who have e-registered with MFA”, adding that there have been no reports of Singaporeans on board the flight.
