Ilham Aliyev leaves CIS summit due to Azerbaijani plane crash

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is on his way back to Baku from the Russia-hosted informal CIS summit after an AZAL plane crashed near Aktau, his press service said.

"President Ilham Aliev, who had departed for Russia to take part in an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in St. Petersburg, received a report about the plane crash while in Russian airspace, and ordered an immediate return," the statement reads.

The Azerbaijani president has ordered the relevant government agencies to investigate the causes of the crash and take urgent action.

A passenger plane operated by AZAL, which was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday. According to preliminary reports, there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board the plane, at least 29 people survived.