ASTANA, December 28. /TASS/. Presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Vladimir Putin respectively, pointed out to the importance of ensuring a transparent investigation into the passenger plane crash near Aktau, the press service of the Kazakhstan’s presidential office announced in a statement on Saturday.
"The heads of state stressed that the investigation into the tragedy will be conducted with full transparency within the all-embracing probe into the incident," the statement said.
Both presidents also exchanged their condolences in regard to the tragic death of nationals from Russia and Kazakhstan following the fatal crash of the passenger airliner earlier this week, the statement added.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25. The aircraft carried 67 people, including 62 passengers, primarily citizens of Azerbaijan, as well as nationals of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, along with five crew members.
According to the latest updates, 38 people, including seven Russians, lost their lives, while 29 others survived. A special flight sent by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry evacuated nine Russian nationals, including a child, who were injured in the crash, from Aktau.