US Embassy economic officer visits site of AZAL passenger plane crash

Ashley Towers, Economic Officer at the US Embassy in Azerbaijan, visited the crash site of the AZAL passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, the Embassy said in a post on Facebook, according to Report.

"Before departing Aktau, The United States-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) Executive Director Natig Bakhishov and US Embassy Baku Economic Officer Ashley Towers visited the crash site of the AZAL - Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft. There, we paid tribute to the cherished memory of the civilians who lost their lives in this tragedy. Debris from the accident remains scattered across the area, serving as a solemn reminder of the lives lost," the embassy said.

For context, on December 25, an Embraer aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The plane carried 62 passengers, including 37 Azerbaijani, 16 Russian, 6 Kazakh, and 3 Kyrgyz citizens, along with five crew members. The crash claimed 38 lives, while 29 people survived, including three children.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the crash resulted from physical and technical external interference while the aircraft was in Russian airspace over Grozny.