The tragedy in Aktau, where Azerbaijani, Russian and Kazakh citizens were killed during the hard landing of the AZAL plane, became a common grief for three fraternal peoples living in allied states.
These days, the Russian people mourn the victims together with the Azerbaijani and Kazakh people. Our unity, which has been tested and proven many times during the historical challenges of recent decades, is once again evident as we share our losses and feel the pain of friendly nations as our own.
This is an international tragedy in which heroism was demonstrated by everyone. The Russian pilots, citizens of Azerbaijan, who gave their lives to land the plane in a field after the systems failed, and the Azerbaijani flight attendants, including stewardess Hokuma Aliyeva (also died in the line of duty), who ensured calm in the cabin until the very last moment, and the Kazakh workers of Aktau Airport, who were the first to come to the aid of the survivors, all demonstrated incredible bravery.
Thanks to the heroism of the crew, three dozen people out of 67 on board survived the plane crash.
The authorities of Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan also responded to the common disaster in a coordinated manner, organizing emergency assistance to the victims and an investigation into the plane crash. The entire world conveyed words of condolence to the families of the victims.
"Vestnik Kavkaza" expresses its condolences to all those who lost loved ones in this tragedy and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded, who are now in the best clinics of Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan.
