UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed condolences over the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane in Kazakhstan.
“The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of a plane crash in western Kazakhstan, which claimed the lives of many people, including citizens of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation,” Stephanie Tremblay, assistant press secretary to the UN chief, quoted Guterres as saying.
“He expresses his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and his deepest sympathy to the affected countries. The Secretary-General also wishes a speedy and full recovery to those affected by this tragic incident,” the assistant spokesman added.
Yesterday, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan during an emergency landing. The disaster killed at least 38 people. Another 11 passengers are in critical condition.
The aircraft was operating flight J2-8243 from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Chechen Republic. The disaster occurred three kilometers from the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board.
Video footage from eyewitnesses captured the moment the plane circled in the air before it crashed. After hitting the ground, it caught fire. Rescue services pulled 29 survivors from the wreckage. Among them are two children. All victims were taken to hospitals. According to information, none of the survivors are citizens of Kazakhstan.
At the scene of the tragedy, rescuers found the plane’s black box. The government of Kazakhstan created a commission to investigate the causes of the disaster. Representatives of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will work together on this matter.
According to preliminary data, among the dead were 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 6 from Kazakhstan, 3 from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia. Video footage from the crash site showed surviving passengers leaving the burning plane.
Local authorities expressed condolences to the families of the dead and injured. The cause of the accident is still unknown, the investigation is ongoing.
Earlier, Kursor wrote that a surviving AZAL passenger suspected shelling and spoke about the terrible minutes on board.