Azerbaijani embassies in Moscow, Tbilisi open books of condolences over deadly plane crash

Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions in Moscow and Tbilisi have opened books of condolences following the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane on December 25.

The flight, which was en route from Baku to Grozny, tragically crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, claiming the lives of 38 people, including 23 Azerbaijani citizens, Caliber.Az reports.

In Moscow, the Azerbaijani Embassy has announced that the Book of Condolences will be open on December 26 from 16:00 to 18:00, and on December 27 from 14:00 to 16:00. Those wishing to express their sympathies can also do so electronically by sending messages to office_moscow@mission.mfa.gov.az.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Tbilisi has also opened its Book of Condolences, which will be available on December 26 from 13:00 to 18:00, and on December 27 from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. Electronic condolences can be sent to tbilisi@mission.mfa.gov.az.

The Embraer aircraft, which had 67 people on board, including five crew members, was tragically lost near Aktau. The crash resulted in the death of 38 passengers, with 29 survivors, 14 of whom were Azerbaijani nationals.

Recall that on December 25, an Embraer plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, traveling from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. There were 67 people on board the plane, including five crew members.

Sadly, 38 people lost their lives in the crash, while 29 survived. There were 37 citizens of Azerbaijan on board, of whom 23 died, 14 survived.

At the time of the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was en route to an informal summit of CIS heads of state in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Upon learning of the crash while still in Russian airspace, President Aliyev ordered his return to Baku to oversee the response efforts.

The international community has expressed condolences to Azerbaijan, with leaders and organizations worldwide offering messages of sympathy and solidarity to the victims' families.

On December 26, Azerbaijan declared a day of mourning to honour the victims.

By Khagan Isayev