US embassy staff visit Azerbaijan airlines crash site in Kazakhstan PHOTO

The US Embassy in Baku has said its representatives have visited the Azerbaijan Airlines crash site near Aktau, Kazakhstan, paying tribute to the victims. 

In a statement posted on Facebook, the embassy noted that before departing Aktau, US Embassy Baku Economic Officer Ashley Towers and Executive Director of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) Natig Bakhishov visited the area where debris from the AZAL passenger aircraft remains scattered, Caliber.Az reports. 

“There, we paid tribute to the cherished memory of the civilians who lost their lives in this tragedy,” the embassy said.

The site visit came at the conclusion of the Kazakhstan segment of the US Business Delegation to the Middle Corridor, the embassy said. 

The tragic accident occurred on December 25, 2024, when Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, an Embraer 190AR, crashed while attempting an emergency landing near Aktau. The aircraft had been en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, carrying 67 people—62 passengers and five crew members.

Among those on board were 42 Azerbaijani, 16 Russian, six Kazakh, and three Kyrgyz nationals. The crash claimed the lives of 38 individuals. Of the five crew members, three were killed and two survived. In total, 29 people were rescued from the wreckage.

Preliminary findings suggest that the aircraft experienced physical and technical interference while flying through Russian airspace over Grozny.

By Sabina Mammadli