BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 28. Large-scale investigative activities are underway by the Azerbaijani Investigative Department regarding the crash of an AZAL (Azerbaijan Airlines) plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, the nation's General Prosecutor Kamran Aliyev said, Trend reports
During a strategic board meeting focused on the operational dynamics of the Prosecutor's Office, he articulated his observations regarding the tasks executed in the current fiscal year, alongside the forthcoming objectives and the overarching organizational framework of workflow.
Aliyev noted that immediately after the incident, the General Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case.
"As part of mutual cooperation with relevant state agencies, as well as with the prosecutor's offices of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Brazil, investigations are being carried out to determine the real causes of the incident, and concrete results will be provided in this regard in the near future," the official added.
The tragedy occurred on December 25, when an Embraer 190 plane operated by AZAL, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed just 3 kilometers from Aktau Airport.
The Embraer 190 was carrying 67 people, including 62 passengers and five crew members.
In the aftermath of the crash, 27 people were hospitalized. Among them, 15 are citizens of Azerbaijan, eight are from Russia, and three are from Kyrgyzstan. The identity of one individual remains unknown.
Of those hospitalized, 11 are being treated in intensive care, 13 in the trauma ward, two in the neurosurgery ward, and one in the surgical ward. They are under the care of experienced doctors from Kazakhstan, as well as specialists sent from Azerbaijan and Russia. All patients have received prompt and specialized medical and psychological support.
The crash claimed the lives of both pilots and a flight attendant. Two other crew members survived.
On December 26, 14 victims and the bodies of four dead were transported to Azerbaijan.
The black box of the plane has already been found, and procedures for its analysis are being carried out per the international aviation conventions. An investigation into the causes of the disaster is currently underway. Final conclusions will be made after completion of all necessary research and data analysis.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel