Russian president proposes moment of silence for Aktau plane crash victims
During the informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a moment of silence to honor the memory of those who tragically lost their lives in the plane crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The Russian leader expressed heartfelt condolences on behalf of all summit participants to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured in the tragic crash, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.
In his remarks, Putin also announced that, in coordination with Kazakhstan's President, a Russian Emergencies Ministry aircraft equipped with medical personnel and necessary supplies would be dispatched to Aktau to support the ongoing rescue efforts.
On December 25, an Embraer 190 aircraft belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed in Aktau.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has left for Russia to attend the informal summit of CIS heads of state in Saint Petersburg, was informed of a plane crash while still in Russian airspace.
Upon receiving the news, the president immediately gave instructions to return to Baku.
There were 67 people on board the Azerbaijan Airlines flight, including 62 passengers and 5 crew members, as confirmed by a statement from the airline’s press office.
Among those on board, there were 37 Azerbaijani nationals, 16 Russian citizens, six from Kazakhstan, and three from Kyrgyzstan.
Following the tragic incident, condolences have been extended by world leaders and organizations, offering their sympathies to the people of Azerbaijan.
By Vafa Guliyeva