Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday sent a condolence message to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the fatal crashing of an A-310 passenger plane at a Siberian airport earlier in the day.
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In the message, Hu, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, expressed his heartfelt sadness to the Russian government and the Russian people.
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Hu also mourned the victims in the crash and extended condolences to their families.
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According to the Russian Interior Ministry, an A-310 Sibir airlines jet carrying 192 passengers, six flight attendants and two pilots veered off the runway and hit a building during landing at Irkutsk Airport at about 03:00 AM Sunday (2300 GMT Saturday).
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The jet burst into flames upon impact.
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The jet arrived in Irkutsk from Moscow's Domodedovo airport. Many of the passengers aboard were children going for vacation on Russia's famous Lake Baikal near Irkutsk.
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The Irkutsk airport authorities said several foreign nationals were among the passengers aboard the plane.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2006)