Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev stated that the investigation into the AZAL plane crash near Aktau has entered its final stage.
Bozumbayev made this statement to journalists.
He noted that the process is proceeding in parallel on both criminal and technical fronts.
According to Bozumbayev, the criminal case is being handled by the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan. The office is in constant contact with Russian investigative bodies. "There has been some progress there. Statements from the leaders of the neighboring country also confirm this," he emphasized.
The technical investigation is being carried out by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan. The ministry is currently awaiting final feedback from the license holders of the technology and aviation devices used on the aircraft:
"In fact, we can complete the results from the Ministry of Transport by the end of this year or early next year," Bozumbayev said during his speech in parliament.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed hope that both the technical and criminal investigations would be concluded in 2026.
It is recalled that on December 25 of last year, an AZAL passenger plane crashed near Aktau. There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board. Of them, 37 were citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 of Russia, 6 of Kazakhstan, and 3 of Kyrgyzstan. As a result of the tragedy, 38 people died, and 29 survived, including three children.
The cause of the incident was reported to be a missile fired by the Russian Air Defense Forces. The issue was also discussed at a meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Putin in Dushanbe several months ago.
During that meeting, Vladimir Putin stated that legal assessment would be given to the causes of the crash and the actions of those responsible. According to him, Russia will do everything it can in both the investigation process and compensation matters: "Time is needed to put a definitive end to this incident."
Currently, both Azerbaijan and the countries of the region are awaiting the final report of the investigation. (Modern.az)