ASTANA, December 25. /TASS/. A pre-trial investigation into safety violations has been initiated after the crash of a passenger plane near the Kazakh city of Aktau, Kazakhstan’s Kazinform news agency reports.

"Efforts are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident. A pre-trial investigation has been initiated under Article 344 of the Kazakh Criminal Code ("Violations of Safety Requirements Resulting in Death by Negligence of Two or More People")," the report states.

Earlier, the Health Department of Kazakhstan’s Mangistau Region reported that a cylinder had exploded aboard the plane.