Putin expresses condolences to Ilham Aliyev over AZAL plane crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation has expressed condolences to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev over the crash of an AZAL plane near Aktau, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Unfortunately, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had to leave St. Petersburg. Putin has already called him, offered condolences over the crash of an Azerbaijani plane in Aktau. Overall, we are expressing deepest condolences to those who lost their near and dear in this air disaster," Dmitry Peskov said.

What happened?

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.