Following the airline disaster of FlyDubai Flight FZ981 which has claimed over 60 souls, including a Seychellois national, President James Michel has expressed his condolences on behalf of the people of Seychelles to his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin. In his message, President Michel remarked that it was with profound sadness and sense of deep sorrow that he learnt of the tragedy, in which Alex Confait, a Seychellois member of the cabin crew passed away. " We are equally affected in the wake of this disaster as one of our own Seychellois sons has perished along with many other souls on board," said President Michel. President Michel expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the Seychellois national and emphasised that the entire nation mourns this loss. In the wake of this tragedy, President Michel said "today the people of Seychelles join Russia in mourning as a people unified through a sense of grave loss." FlyDubai Flight FZ981 crashed as it was attempting to land in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.