NATO сalls for full investigation into Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan

NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah has expressed condolences following the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan.

In a statement on social media platform X, Dakhlallah called for a thorough investigation into the disaster, per Caliber.Az.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of #AzerbaijanAirlines flight #J28243. We wish those injured in the crash a speedy recovery and call for a full investigation.

— NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah (@NATOpress) December 26, 2024

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J28243. We wish those injured in the crash a speedy recovery and call for a full investigation," she wrote.

The crash occurred on December 25 when the Embraer 190 aircraft, operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, went down while attempting an emergency landing near Aktau. The incident resulted in 38 fatalities, with 29 survivors, among the 67 people on board, which included 62 passengers and five crew members. Passengers aboard the flight came from Azerbaijan (37), Russia (16), Kazakhstan (6), and Kyrgyzstan (3).

At the time of the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was travelling to Saint Petersburg, Russia, for a CIS leaders' summit. Upon hearing of the incident, while still in Russian airspace, President Aliyev immediately ordered his return to Baku to oversee the national response.

Following the disaster, President Aliyev established a state commission to investigate the cause of the crash. Senior officials from several ministries were dispatched to the crash site, and efforts to manage the aftermath and provide aid to the victims were swiftly initiated.

The international community has united in support of Azerbaijan, with global leaders and organizations offering their condolences to the families of the victims.

In a show of national mourning, Azerbaijan declared December 26 as a day of remembrance for those who lost their lives in the tragic event.

By Tamilla Hasanova