PM Narendra Modi condoles death of passengers on board AirAsia plane

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of passengers and crew on board the ill-fated AirAsia plane after its wreckage and debris was found today, three days after it went missing while flying from Indonesia to Singapore.

"Our thoughts are with the families of those on flight QZ8501. We offer our condolences and stand firmly with them in this hour of grief," Modi said in a statement. The Airbus A320-200 was carrying 155 passengers -- one British, one Malaysian, one Singaporean, three South Koreans, 149 Indonesians -- and seven crew members -- six Indonesians and a French co-pilot. Its debris was spotted today in the Java Sea off Indonesia, close to the area where contact was lost with the aircraft on Sunday morning.