BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 28. I call for a swift, independent international investigation of the AZAL plane crash in Aktau, said Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Trend reports.
"Reports that Russian fire could have caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane are a stark reminder of MH17. I call for a swift, independent international investigation.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. I wish for a speedy recovery to the injured," she wrote on her page on X.
An Embraer 190 passenger plane belonging to AZAL, flying on the Baku-Grozny route, crashed 3 kilometers from Aktau airport on December 25. A total of 67 people (62 passengers and 5 crew members) were on board the plane.
Following the crash of the passenger plane, 27 people were admitted to the hospital. Of them, 15 people are citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 8 of the Russian Federation, and 3 of the Kyrgyz Republic. The identity of one person has not yet been established.
Both pilots of the crew as well as the flight attendant were killed; two crew members survived.
On December 26, 14 victims and the bodies of four dead were delivered to Azerbaijan.