Sixty-six French people were onboard the Yemenia Air jetliner that crashed early Tuesday off the coast of Comoros, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement Tuesday.

In the statement, Kouchner expressed "sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked the French military to help with the search operation, particularly the military personnel in the Indian Ocean territories of Mayotte and Reunion.

The jetliner, an Airbus A310, crashed early Tuesday into the Indian Ocean as it approached the airport on the Comoros islands in heavy winds and bad weather. The plane was carrying 153 people -- 142 passengers and a crew of 11.

Yemeni officials said a child has been rescued alive from the sea.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2009)