On December 26, Azerbaijan declared a day of mourning for the victims of the passenger plane crash that occurred the day before in Kazakhstan, reports RFE.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight had 67 people on board. Authorities reported that 38 people died, while 29 survived the crash. The flight had departed from the capital, Baku, heading to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region. However, the plane deviated from its route and attempted an emergency landing near Aktau, a city in western Kazakhstan.
The crew fought to save the aircraft, but it eventually crashed in Kazakhstan. Both Azerbaijani and Kazakh authorities have initiated investigations to determine the cause of the crash, and a recording from the cockpit has been found.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that it was too early to determine the exact cause of the crash but suggested that adverse weather conditions might have contributed to the incident.
“The information provided to me indicates that the plane diverted from Baku to Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed toward Aktau airport before crashing,” he said.
The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office announced that “all scenarios are being investigated.”
The crashed plane had 42 Azerbaijani nationals, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyz on board.
Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev, who heads the special government commission investigating the incident, reported that most of the victims could not be immediately identified due to severe burns.
Regarding the survivors, nine Russians were sent to Moscow on December 26 via a Russian Ministry of Emergencies plane.
Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended all flights from Baku to Chechnya pending the investigation into the tragedy.
Russian news agency Interfax reported that officials confirmed the aircraft had passed all inspections in October, and the pilot had “extensive experience” with over 15,000 flight hours.
