Azerbaijan begins day of mourning for those killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan

A day of mourning for those killed in a plane crash near Aktau has been declared in Azerbaijan on Thursday, December 26.

"Guided by paragraph 32 of Article 109 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I share the grief of the families of the victims of the crash and make a decision: on December 26, 2024, mourning shall be declared in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the order signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reads.

Tragedy in Aktau: Baku-Grozny passenger plane crashed

A fire started at the scene and there are survivors

A passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), heading on the Baku-Grozny route, 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 fall of the airplane could be a collision with a flock of birds. After the crash, a criminal case was initiated.

The passenger list of AZAL includes 62 passengers and five crew members. According to the latest data, seven Russians died, nine survived and were hospitalized. A special airplane of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation will deliver to Moscow the citizens of the Russian Federation, injured in the crash, on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In turn, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev came to the victims of the plane crash. He also reported that as a result of the airplane crash killed 38 people.

At the site of the tragedy continue search and rescue work. AZAL has suspended flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation is completed.