Kazakhstan, Astana, Dec.26 / Trend D. Mukhtarov /
By order of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazabayev, national mourning has been declared for those border guards who died as a result of an air crash in the South Kazakhstan region, Kazakh President's press service reported.
'December 27, 2012 has been declared as national mourning due to the death of personnel of the National Security Committee's Border Service in the crash of a military transport aircraft near the city of Shymkent', the report says.
On Dec.25 at 6:55 pm, an aircraft of the National Security Committee's Border Service flying from Astana crashed 20 kilometres from Shymkent Airport whilst on approach to the airfield. All 27 people who were on board, including seven crew members died.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed condolences to the families and friends of those who died in the crash and gave instructions to the relevant state authorities to investigate the cause of the crash, as well as provide assistance to the bereaved families.