Spanish Prime Minister Sends Condolences Message to Raul Castro

In his message, Rodriguez Zapatero expressed his solidarity and that of the Spanish people after the tragic accident in which 40 Cubans and 28 foreigners died.

“In these moments of deep grief, you can certainly count on all the affection of the Spanish Government and people, which I request you to pass on to the victims’ families,” the text reads.

In his message, Rodriguez Zapatero also expresses the willingness of his government to assist Cuba in any possible way.

International media outlets report that Argentinean president Cristina Fernandez is also sending a plane to Cuba to take back the bodies of the nine Argentinean citizens who died in the crash.

AeroCaribbean Flight 883 was en route from eastern Santiago de Cuba to Havana. After making an emergency call, the aircraft lost contact with air traffic controllers before it went down in a mountainous area near the village of Guasimal and burst into flames.