Azerbaijani FM: Holes in fuselage point to physical interference in plane crash

On December 28, a phone call was held between Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers, Jeyhun Bayramov and Sergey Lavrov, in a continuation of talks between the Azerbaijani and Russian presidents over the Azerbaijani passenger plane’s tragic crash in Kazakhstan’s Aktau city.

During the phone call, Lavrov conveyed his condolences to the families and relatives of those killed and to the people of Azerbaijan in the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane operating a Baku-Grozny flight on December 25, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

“Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in turn, wished for Allah’s mercy on all those who died and for the recovery of the injured. He emphasized that the initial inspection of the plane, the presence of numerous holes in the fuselage, and the statements of the flight attendants and passengers provide facts that the plane crashed as a result of physical and technical interference,” the ministry’s statement read.

Bayramov conveyed Azerbaijan’s expectations to finalize the work carried out to investigate the causes of the crash as soon as possible, with the participation of a delegation of international experts, and to seriously and comprehensively determine and announce its causes.

Furthermore, the senior diplomats underscored the importance of conducting the initiated investigation process in a completely transparent manner and regularly providing information to the public.

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 survivors were rescued.

By Khagan Isayev