MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have agreed to remain in touch over the crash of a passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines near Aktau in Kazakhstan on December 25.
Following a phone conversation between the two leaders, the Kremlin press service said: "The two countries’ leaders will remain constantly in contact on matters related to investigation into the circumstances of a tragic incident involving the Azerbaijani airplane and on important issues of fostering Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation."
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25. The plane carried 67 people, including 62 passengers, mainly citizens of Azerbaijan, as well as nationals of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and five crew members. According to the latest reports, 38 people, including seven Russians, were killed, while 29 others survived. A special flight sent by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has transported nine Russian citizens, including a child, injured in the air crash, from Aktau.