Putin on the Downed Aircraft Incident

During an unofficial meeting of the leaders of CIS member states, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the passenger aircraft crash in western Kazakhstan. This was reported by TASS.

“A tragedy has occurred today in Aktau. On behalf of your names, I would like to extend my condolences to the families of the victims and all the injured,” said the state leader during the summit taking place in Saint Petersburg.

He assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted regarding the incident.

It is recalled that a passenger aircraft of an Azerbaijani airline crashed near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan. There were 67 passengers and 5 crew members on board the aircraft. According to preliminary information, the cause of the incident was the aircraft's collision with a flock of birds. Reports also indicate that an oxygen tank on the plane exploded, causing passengers to start losing consciousness. Eyewitnesses stated that a bird had entered the engine prior to this.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that 32 people survived the aircraft disaster. The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan stated that among the survivors are 14 citizens of Azerbaijan, 10 from Russia, and 2 from Kyrgyzstan. The citizenship of 3 other injured individuals is being verified.