Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says the country’s prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation into the plane crash in Kazakhstan.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev says that so far it is too early to speculate on the causes of the plane crash in Kazakhstan.
– According to the information given to me, the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to deteriorating weather conditions and the plane was diverted towards Aqtaw Airport, where the plane finally crashed, Aliyev added.
According to him, a group of Azerbaijani scientists has been sent to Aqtawi to investigate the causes of the plane crash.
– The Prosecutor’s Office has started a criminal investigation into the accident, and of course the people of Azerbaijan will be kept informed of the progress of the investigation, President Aliyev adds.
President Aliyev commented on the issue at a press conference he held at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
Before holding the press conference, Aliyev was on his way to St. Petersburg, Russia, for a meeting of the CIS countries.
At the press conference, Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed in the plane crash.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, the Russian president Vladimir Putin has talked by phone with President Aliyev about the plane crash and expressed his condolences.
Dozens of people died on Christmas Day after an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, there were 67 people on board, including 5 crew members. There was uncertainty about the exact number of victims on Wednesday evening. According to Azerbaijani authorities, 32 people survived the accident, but Kazakh authorities said 38 died, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
Sources: AP, Reuters, STT