Putin expresses condolences to Aliyev over plane crash in Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev in connection with the plane crash in Kazakhstan. This was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 25.

"Unfortunately, Azerbaijani President Aliyev was forced to leave St. Petersburg. Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Azerbaijani airplane in Aktau," he said at a briefing.

Peskov also said that Russia expresses hope for a quick recovery of those who survived the crash of the airplane in Kazakhstan.

In addition, during the phone conversation, Aliyev told Putin that he would not be able to take part in an informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg due to the emergency.

Tragedy in Aktau: Baku-Grozny passenger plane crashed

A fire started at the scene and there are survivors

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane traveling on the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau earlier in the day. The craft caught fire after the crash. Fifty-two specialists and 11 units of equipment were sent to the crash site. An operational headquarters was formed in the command center of the agency.

On the fact of the crash, a criminal case was opened under the article "Violation of safety rules in the operation of vehicles, resulting in the death of two or more persons by negligence".

According to preliminary data, the cause of the accident could have been a collision with a flock of birds. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan, 29 people survived the crash. There were 16 Russians on the flight: the youngest passenger from the Russian Federation is 11 years old, the oldest is 69 years old.