In a letter to Russian head of state Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán offered his condolences over the plane crash at the weekend, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief told the Hungarian news agency on Monday.

“I was deeply saddened by the news of the tragic disaster of the passenger aircraft travelling from Moscow to Orsk which claimed a great many lives. We share the pain of the victims’ relatives together with the Hungarian people. Please accept my most sincere condolences”, Mr Orbán wrote.

The An-148 jet of the Russian airline Saratovski Avialini heading for Orsk disappeared from radar screens four minutes after take-off on Sunday. The plane crashed, and all 65 passengers, including three children, and six crew members on board were killed.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)