ASTANA – According to the Kazakh Emergency Ministry’s updated data, 38 bodies of the deceased were found and delivered to the forensic center, including six citizens of Kazakhstan and three crew members, as a result of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash near the city of Aktau on Dec. 25, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Olzhas Bektenov left a note in the book of condolences at the Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Astana. Photo credit: Prime Minister’s press service.
Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev reported on the work of the Government Commission at the crash site during a Dec. 26 meeting chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
An AZAL plane flying from Baku to Grozny with 67 people on board crashed on Wednesday morning in Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors.
According to Bozumbayev, rescue services have completed the search. Twenty-nine people were hospitalized, and 38 people died as a result of the plane crash. All victims underwent the necessary examinations. Specialists from Kazakhstan’s National Center for Emergency Medicine and leading national centers arrived from Astana via air ambulance.
In addition to Kazakh specialists, a special flight of the Russian Emergencies Ministry and an air ambulance team from Azerbaijan also arrived. The injured and deceased relatives are coming, and the regional akimat (administration) assists them with transportation, lodging, and food. Teams of psychologists are working.
“I express my condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased. The government of Kazakhstan and authorized bodies are providing all necessary support to the injured and relatives of the deceased,” said Bektenov.
Bektenov also gave several instructions on strengthening aviation security.
“This sad event shows that we also need to take certain measures to ensure flight safety. First, it is necessary to conduct an unscheduled inspection and take special control of the technical condition of airports and aircraft. As part of the measures taken, it is necessary to recheck the qualifications, permits and competence of the crews of our airlines’ aircraft. To promptly respond to air accidents, it is necessary to improve the mechanism of emergency rescue operations and ensure coordinated work of interested government agencies,” he said.
Nine Russian citizens who received injuries of varying degrees of severity returned home today. Twelve surviving passengers will be delivered to Azerbaijan.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed condolences over the plane crash.
“The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of a plane crash in western Kazakhstan, which has claimed the lives of many, including citizens of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his profound sympathy to the affected nations. The Secretary-General also wishes a swift and full recovery to those injured in this tragic incident,” reads the statement.
In Azerbaijan, Dec. 26 was declared a day of mourning. A minute of silence honored the memory of the victims.
