Diplomats sent to Aktau to help Russian plane crash survivors

Russian diplomats have been sent to Kazakhstan's Aktau to help Russian citizens who survived the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane flying from Baku to Grozny. This was announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a briefing on December 25.

"Our diplomats have already been dispatched to Aktau, including for clarification of information and organization of assistance to surviving compatriots," Zakharova said.

She said that the Russian embassies in Astana and Baku, as well as the Consulate General in Uralsk are in constant contact with the services of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Zakharova expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to all the wounded.

Tragedy in Aktau: Baku-Grozny passenger plane crashed

A fire started at the scene and there are survivors

A passenger plane of AZAL Airlines, heading on the route Baku - Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25. After the crash the plane caught fire, the fire was extinguished. Preliminary, the cause of the accident with the airplane could be a collision with a flock of birds. After 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".

Later, AZAL released the list of passengers of the crashed airplane, it contains the names of 62 people. Thirty-two passengers survived and were hospitalized. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) told Izvestia that there were no organized groups of Russian tourists on board the crashed Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft. At the same time in the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan said that the plane, according to preliminary data, there were 16 Russians. The Russian Embassy in Astana said that 10 of them survived and were taken to hospitals.

Andrei Patrakov, founder of the RunAvia flight safety service, suggested in a conversation with Izvestia that a possible reason for the rescue of many passengers was the separation of the tail of the plane, which helped to avoid a strong explosion and an increase in the number of victims.

Against the background of the incident, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia, returned to Baku and held a meeting. He declared December 26 a day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash in the republic.