ASTANA – An Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny with 67 people on board crashed on Dec. 25 morning in Aktau, killing 38 people, including six Kazakh nationals, and leaving 29 survivors.
Photo credit: x.com/flightradar24
According to Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev, 67 people were on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members.
“There were 37 Azerbaijan citizens on board, 23 of whom died and 14 survived. All three passengers from the Kyrgyz Republic survived. There were 16 citizens of Russia, seven of whom died, and nine survived. Six passengers from Kazakhstan, including one schoolboy, died. The plane’s crew consisted of five people, two of whom died and three survived,” reads the statement of the Kazakh Emergency Ministry.
According to Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, the aircraft’s black box has been found at the crash site. Investigations and operational actions are underway. All services — emergency services, forensic specialists and prosecutors — are working in emergency mode to determine the timeline of the accident.
The Embraer 190 jet was initially scheduled to fly from Baku to Grozny. However, the Kazinform reported that the jet entered Kazakhstan’s airspace at 11:02 a.m. local time after obtaining previous permission and reporting a bird hit to the dispatcher.
Before the incident, the jet conducted two spins near the Aktau airstrip. Communication with the aircraft was lost around 11.28 a.m., and crashed with the ground during its third spin.
Embraer expressed condolences over the death of Azerbaijan Airlines’ passengers.
“We are deeply saddened by the occurrence with an Embraer 190 today near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones affected by this incident. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we remain fully committed to supporting the relevant authorities, the statement reads.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident, with a special committee to oversee the proceedings. Additionally, medical staff and trauma specialists have been dispatched to Aktau to assist the survivors. The case is under the special supervision of Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General.
Some 490 workers, 97 pieces of equipment, two airplanes, and ten canine teams are working to deal with the aftermath.