Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Malaysian and Singaporean leaders, whose citizens were among the people aboard the missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the air accidents victims.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Tun Abdul Razak and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conveyed their condolences via their Twitter handles as quoted by ANTARA here on Wednesday.

"On behalf of all Malaysians, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those on AirAsia Indonesia QZ8501. We share your sorrow," said Najib Razak.

Lee Hsien Loong also expressed grief and condolences to the families and loved ones of the 162 people on board the commercial jet that lost contact with the air traffic control tower in its flight from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore.

Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam also sent a condolence letter to Indonesian President Joko Widodo as reported by Channel News Asia on Wednesday.

"Singapore is committed to working with Indonesia in the ongoing recovery efforts. As close neighbors and partners, Singapore and Indonesia have stood together in past crises, and I am sure that we will continue to support one another during this difficult time," he noted.

Although most of the people on board were Indonesian citizens, but there were seven foreign nationals from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and France.

Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, Australia, and China have also joined the massive search and rescue operation led by Indonesias Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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