French President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday night expressed his condolences to the victims of a crashed Yemeni airliner and promised necessary assistance from France.

Sarkozy made the remarks in a statement issued by the Presidential Office after the Yemeni Airliner, an Airbus A310-300 crashed early Tuesday off the coast of the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean with 153 people on board.

France has been hit by a second air crash in a short period of time, which has plunged many French families into deep sorrows, said Sarkozy.

He expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims, particularly the Comoran community living in France, on behalf of the whole nation.

Sarkozy promised that the French government will provide all the necessary help for the relatives of the victims and make the best efforts to assist in the rescue work.

Some relatives of the French passengers on board the plane are waiting anxiously at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where a crisis center has been set up.

The airport is in order but an obvious atmosphere of sadness can be felt, and many relatives are still hoping for finding survivors.

Three bodies have been recovered from the crash scene and a child was rescued alive.

The Airbus A310-300 carried 11 crew members and 142 passengers from different countries such as France, Spain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria and Jordan.

Up to now, the Yemeni Defense Ministry has confirmed 54 Comorans, one Palestinian and one Canadian, and the French Foreign Ministry said 66 French nationals were aboard the ill-fated Yemeni airplane.

Currently there has been no report of any Chinese passengers on board the plane, according to a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Source: Xinhua