Azerbaijani president, first lady attend farewell ceremony for crew members of crashed plane PHOTO / UPDATED

On December 29, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva took part in a farewell ceremony for the crew members who perished in the crash of the plane operating a flight from Baku to Grozny.

President Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani president's press service.

The farewell ceremony was held at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.

The crash occurred on December 25, when an Embraer aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flying from Baku to Grozny, tragically went down near Aktau. The flight had 67 people on board, including 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyz nationals. Tragically, 38 people lost their lives, while 29 survived.

By Khagan Isayev