BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 27. We won't comment on the AZAL plane crash until the announcement of the incident's investigation results, Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing in Moscow today, TurkicWorld reports.
"Until the conclusions are announced based on the results of the investigation, we do not consider ourselves entitled to make any assessments, and we will not do so. At the same time, we have our aviation authorities who are capable of doing this, and any information can only come from them. We do not consider ourselves entitled to comment on this," he added.
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 five crew members.
In the aftermath of the crash, 27 people were hospitalized. Among them, 15 are citizens of Azerbaijan, eight are from Russia, and three 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, two in the neurosurgery ward, and one 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.
The black box of the plane has already been found, and procedures for its analysis are being carried out per the international aviation conventions. An investigation into the causes of the disaster is currently underway. Final conclusions will be made after completion of all necessary research and data analysis.
