MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. The Russian Investigative Committee’s head office took over the country’s investigation of the plane crash in Kazakhstan, it said in a statement.
The investigation into a potential violation of safety rules had previously been started by the Western Inter-regional Investigation Department for Transport.
According to the Investigative Committee, an investigative task force was set up that includes investigators, crime scene analysts and experts with experience in looking into airplane accidents.
"As part of the criminal case, all necessary measures are being taken to establish the circumstances of the incident and the causes of the plane crash," the committee said.
Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin held a situation meeting in Grozny, where he was briefed on the investigation.
An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane headed from Baku to Grozny crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25. The aircraft carried 67 people, including 62 passengers and five crew members. They were primarily citizens of Azerbaijan, as well as nationals of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. According to the latest data, 38 people, including seven Russians, lost their lives, while 29 others survived. Nine Russian survivors were taken to hospitals in Russia.