Türkiye is sending an eight-member team to investigate the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdülkadir Uraloğlu announced late Friday.
In a statement shared on his social media account, Uraloğlu said the team was formed at the request of Azerbaijan’s State Civil Aviation Agency. The group will examine the crash site, conduct technical and operational analyses, and provide support to determine the cause of the accident.
“Our expert team will work in coordination with local authorities to thoroughly investigate all aspects of the incident and report the findings,” Uraloğlu said.
The team is set to depart for Baku late Friday and will begin their work on Saturday.
Expressing Türkiye’s solidarity with Azerbaijan, Uraloğlu added, “We reaffirm that Türkiye stands with Azerbaijan under all circumstances. We extend our condolences to those who lost their lives and once again send our heartfelt sympathies to our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters.”
At least 38 people were killed, and 29 survived after the Embraer 190 aircraft made an emergency landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
The Embraer passenger jet had flown from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia’s southern Chechnya region before veering hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea.