Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan coordinate urgent response following fatal plane crash

The Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers has announced that Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov and his Kazakh counterpart Olzhas Bektenov exchanged condolences over the loss of citizens from both countries in the plane crash during a phone talk.

The two prime ministers wished a speedy recovery to the injured, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Asadov thanked the Kazakh side for its swift response in carrying out the search and rescue operation immediately after the crash and for the support provided in all matters related to the incident.

They also exchanged views on providing urgent assistance to the victims and the wounded, ensuring high-level coordination between the relevant authorities of both countries, arranging the delivery of survivors to Azerbaijan, as well as the transfer of the bodies of the deceased, along with several other urgent response measures. 

The crash occurred on December 25, when an Embraer aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, en route from Baku to Grozny, tragically crashed near Aktau.

The plane was carrying 67 people, including 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyz nationals. Sadly, 38 people lost their lives in the crash, with 29 survivors. In response, President Ilham Aliyev declared a day of mourning in Azerbaijan on December 26 to honour those lost in the tragedy.

By Naila Huseynova