[Dan_]

All 121 people on board a Cypriot airliner are feared dead after it plunged into a hill near Athens after an apparent drop in cabin pressure.

A text message sent from the plane said that the pilots were unconscious and passengers were freezing to death.

Greek F-16 fighter jets were scrambled when contact with the Helios Airways plane was lost during the flight between Larnaca in Cyprus and Athens.

Rescuers have found dead bodies but are yet to locate any survivors.

Relatives of some of the passengers gathered anxiously at Larnaca airport, and complained they had waited for hours without being told of their loved ones' fates.

"Tell us if our relatives are dead," some begged Helios officials. "Give us the names, we have waited too long."

But there was no confirmation of the identity or nationality of those on board.

"My son is a pilot and he flew to Athens today. I don't know what plane he was on," a distraught mother said.

However, a Greek police spokeswoman said there were no reports of survivors.

The Boeing 737 plane, carrying 115 passengers and six crew, came down at 1220 local time (0920 GMT).

Credit-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4150312.stm