The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Ensures That No Indonesian Citizens Are Victims Of The Fall Of The Azerbaijan Airlines Aircraft

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that no Indonesian citizens (WNI) were passengers on the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane that crashed near Aktau City, Kazakhstan.

"Until now there is no information on Indonesian citizens on the Azerbaijan Airline plane that crashed in Kazakhstan," said Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and BHI of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha, quoted by Antara, Thursday, December 26.

The 1890 Embraer belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines carrying 69 people from Grozny, Russia, reportedly crashed three kilometers from Aktau Airport, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency.

Azerbaijan Airlines stated that the plane allegedly crashed due to colliding with a flock of birds while in the air.

"Following the crash of a plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines in Aktau, the Azerbaijan Attorney General's Office has started criminal investigations based on articles 262.3 and 314.3 (KUHP Azerbaijan)," the Azerbaijan prosecutor's statement said.

The Azerbaijan Prosecutor's Office also said that its investigation department had been instructed to start an initial investigation.

Unlike the airline, Russian media reported that the plane could not land on Grozny due to the Ukrainian drone strike. The pilot then diverted the flight to Makhachkala City, but the fog conditions forced the pilot to ask for permission to land in Aktau.

Then on Wednesday, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Disinformation Management Center Head Andriy Kovalenko said on Telegram that the plane was allegedly shot down by Russia's air defense system.

Meanwhile, of the 69 passengers on the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines, 42 of them were Azerbaijani citizens, while 16 were Russian citizens, six were Kazakhstan citizens, and the other three were Kyrgyzstan citizens.

The ministry's emergency center also stated that 29 passengers survived the accident and had been evacuated to hospital.