McAleese offers sympathy to families of plane-crash victims

President Mary Mc Aleese has offered her sympathy to all those affected by the Air India plane crash off the coast of Co Cork 20 years ago.

Mrs McAleese was in the west Cork village of Ahakista today along with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to mark the anniversary of the disaster on June 23, 1985.

Three hundred and twenty nine people died when Air India Flight 182 was blown up by Sikh extremists while passing close to Ireland.

The plane was travelling from Montreal to Bombay and most of the victims were Canadian.