May 24, 2010: The Catholic Church condoled the death of 158 people who had boarded an Air India flight that crashed in Mangalore on Saturday.

President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Cardinal Oswald Gracias, in a message of condolence, said the Church in India grieved over the "great loss of life in the air tragedy".

"We are aware that words cannot take away the grief, sorrow and pain, but we offer our prayers and solidarity to the families. The Church prays that those who have survived this ordeal may soon recover. We extend all support to the survivors to enable them to cope and recover, and to help them in all ways possible," he said.

"The Church prays for the eternal repose of the dead and implores the Almighty and merciful God for his gifts of comfort and strength on those who mourn the loss of their loved ones," he added.

The Air India flight was flying from Dubai to Mangalore with 160 passengers and six crew members on board.

On landing the plane overshot the runway, went down a ravine and burst into flames, media reported. Eight persons however miraculously survived the crash.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil expressed deep grief and sorrow and condoled the loss of lives.

Singh announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the family of deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Vice President Hamid Ansari said that he joined all citizens in sending condolences to the members of the bereaved families and "praying to the Almighty to grant them the strength to withstand this immense loss".

According to official figures, 48 of the total of 50 passengers identified so far hailed from the northern districts of Kerala.

Across that state, special prayers were held Sunday for those killed in the crash and their grieving families.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) had asked its dioceses to conduct special prayers in all its churches.

The crash of the Dubai-Mangalore flight is said to be the worst air disaster in India in more than a decade. (by Dibin Samuel, Christian Today)