Thiruvananthapuram, May 23 (IANS): Former junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor Saturday urged affluent NRIs in the Gulf to raise a fund to help the families of those killed in the Mangalore air disaster, many of who were from Kerala, as their remittances kept the Indian economy "buoyant".

"We must help the bereaved families in their hour of need" as "their remittances helped keep our economy buoyant", Tharoor, who is the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, told IANS.

Tharoor said he mourned the loss of "so many migrant labourers" whose families depended on them as "sole breadwinners".

"The we is not just government, though I think the government compensation should be in addition to Air-India's. Then, we should also appeal to affluent NRIs in the Gulf, many of whom benefitted from the services of those who perished. I appeal to them to raise a generous fund to help the bereaved families as well," he said, adding that he would Tweet about it "shortly".

At least 159 people were killed when Air India Express flight 812 flying in from Dubai crashed while landing at the Mangalore airport and burst into flames as it overshot the touchdown zone.