BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Azerbaijan held a nationwide moment of silence to honor the victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane crash near Aktau, TurkicWorld reports.
On Thursday, at noon, traffic across the country came to a halt, and signals were sounded from ships and trains to mark the tribute.
The tragedy occurred on December 25, when an Embraer 190 plane operated by AZAL, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed just 3 kilometers from Aktau Airport.
The Embraer 190 was carrying 67 people, including 62 passengers and 5 crew members.
In the aftermath of the crash, 27 people were hospitalized. Among them, 15 are citizens of Azerbaijan, 8 are from Russia, and 3 are from Kyrgyzstan. The identity of one individual remains unknown.
Of those hospitalized, 11 are being treated in intensive care, 13 in the trauma ward, 2 in the neurosurgery ward, and 1 in the surgical ward. They are under the care of experienced doctors from Kazakhstan, as well as specialists sent from Azerbaijan and Russia. All patients have received prompt and specialized medical and psychological support.
The crash claimed the lives of both pilots and a flight attendant. Two other crew members survived.
December 26 has been declared a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.
