In the Mangystau region, a ceremony was held to honour citizens who showed courage and professionalism in rescuing passengers from the crashed plane near Aktau. By decree of the President of Kazakhstan, rescuers, medics, police officers, and ordinary citizens were awarded state honours for their role in saving the maximum number of lives.
The awards ceremony took place on 5 January, led by the akim of the Mangystau region, Nurdaulet Kilybai. Among those honoured were representatives from various services and departments: police officers, firefighters and rescuers, medical workers, airport specialists, and employees of an energy company.
Particularly high awards were given to Aibek Alibayev, a forensic specialist from the police department, who received the Order of "Aibyn" II degree, and a group of rescuers who received the Order of "Aibyn" III degree. The Order of "Kurmet" was awarded to Irina Kochergina, head of the medical centre at Aktau International Airport, and Bakytzhan Koibekov, head of a centre at the regional hospital.
In an interview with the newspaper "Ana tili", Kassym-Jomart Tokayev particularly emphasised the importance of the solidarity shown by citizens:
"Thanks to such dedication from our citizens, the maximum possible number of lives were saved. <…> The solidarity and sympathy of the Kazakh people towards the victims of the aviation disaster is evidenced by the fact that our citizens rushed in large numbers to donate blood."
One of the heroes of the rescue operation, an employee of JSC "MREK", Nuraly Shopanov, who was awarded the medal "Erligi ushin", recounted the first moments after the crash:
"Seeing the plane crash, we ran to help without hesitation. We didn't even think about the fact that the plane might explode. There was only one thought: to get the victims out as quickly as possible."
Paramedic Timur Kisayev, who also received the "Erligi ushin" medal, described the sequence of events:
"On December 25th at around 11 o'clock, a call came in from the senior dispatcher. We were told that the plane was planning to make an emergency landing. We immediately rushed to help. We examined the victims and provided first aid."
Local police inspector for the Tupkaragan district police department, Saken Amanov, noted the coordinated efforts of all services:
"As soon as the plane hit the ground, within minutes the police officers headed to the scene. Hearing the screams of people inside the plane, the officers, together with specialists from the 'Mangystau Regional Electric Grid Company', began rescuing passengers from the plane and handed the victims over to the medics."
In total, more than 60 people received state honours, and another 51 participants in the rescue operation received letters of thanks from the President. The akim of the region, Nurdaulet Kilybai, addressing those honoured, said:
"You have shown courage and humanity in saving lives, acting swiftly in a critical hour. Your efforts and feats are a shining example of our region's unity and civic responsibility. You have once again proven that Mangystau has many resilient and strong people."
This situation clearly demonstrates that in a critical situation, the professionalism of the rescue services, combined with the compassion and willingness of citizens to help, allows for maximum effectiveness of the rescue operation and minimises the consequences of the tragedy. What happened has once again confirmed the high level of civic solidarity in Kazakhstani society.