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Rescue workers recover bodies of all those killed in Kazakhstan plane crash

The ministry confirmed an earlier statement by the Kazakh authorities that the crash had killed 38 people

ASTANA, December 26. /TASS/. The bodies of all 38 people killed in Wednesday's plane crash in Kazakhstan have been recovered, and seven have been identified, the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.

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"Emergency and rescue efforts at the plane crash site are being carried out by teams from Russia’s Central Crisis Center," the statement reads.

The ministry confirmed an earlier report by the Kazakh authorities that the crash had killed 38 people.

"Thirty-eight dead bodies were retrieved and sent to a forensic center, including six Kazakh nationals and three crew members," the statement indicates.

According to the ministry, "seven bodies have been identified." The agency also pointed out that a group of its rescuers had found a flight recorder on December 25. Personnel are stationed at the crash site on a 24/7 basis.

An Embraer 190 passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), which was flying from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s North Caucasus region of Chechnya, went down near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday. According to the airline, there were 62 passengers and five crew members aboard the plane, nationals of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. According to Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry, 29 people survived the accident.

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