An Azerbaijani Plane Crashed In Kazakhstan And At Least 38 People Are Dead
An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, Dec. 25, killing at least 38 people with 29 survivors.
An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, Dec. 25, killing at least 38 people with 29 survivors.
Flight J2-8243, which had 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members, was flying from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia.
However, the Embraer 190 jet crashed hundreds of kilometers off its scheduled route near Aktau in Kazakhstan on the opposite side of the Caspian Sea.
Russia’s state aviation authority said the plane had been trying to make an emergency landing after it hit a flock of birds.
It is unclear why the plane had crossed the sea, but preliminary reports said that the plane had requested landing at an alternative airport due to heavy fog in Grozny, according to Al Jazeera.
Videos making rounds on social media showed the plane descending steeply before hitting the ground and turning into a fireball.
The pilots attempted to raise the plane’s speed and altitude but lost control of the plane, according to NDTV.
The 29 survivors have been hospitalized, with some reported to be in critical condition.
More than 50 rescue workers rushed to douse the fire and some specialist doctors were flown down Kazakhstan’s capital to help treat the injured, according to Guardian.
Russian president Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to Azerbaijani president after the crash, who decided to cut short his trip to Russia, where he was scheduled to attend a conference, according to Reuters.
Kazakh authorities have started an investigation and are looking into different possibilities of the crash, such as technical issues, according to Al Jazeera.
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