Aliyev holds meeting in connection with plane crash in Aktau

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has held a meeting in connection with the crash of a passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines in Aktau (Kazakhstan). This was reported by the press service of the head of state on Wednesday, December 25.

"Immediately after the plane landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, President Ilham Aliyev held a meeting in connection with the incident," the website said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the Azerbaijani president cut short his visit to Russia due to the crash and traveled to Baku.

Tragedy in Aktau: Baku-Grozny passenger plane crashed

A fire started at the scene and there are survivors

A passenger airplane of Azerbaijan Airlines, heading on the Baku-Grozny route, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau earlier in the day. After the crash the plane caught fire, the fire was extinguished. According to the latest data, 32 people survived the accident.

Preliminary, the cause of the accident could be a collision with a flock of birds. On the fact of the crash, a criminal case was opened under the article "Violation of safety rules in the operation of vehicles, causing the death of two or more persons by negligence".

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) told Izvestia that there were no organized groups of Russian tourists on board the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Aktau. Later, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reported that, according to preliminary information, there were 16 Russians on board.

December 25, Azerbaijan Airlines published a list of passengers of the plane that crashed near Aktau.