An Azerbaijan airlines’ passenger plane heading from Baku to Grozny crashed near Kazakhstan’s Aktau airport on Tuesday. The aircraft had reportedly requested an emergency landing before the crash. According to Reuters, the fligt had 67 passengers and five crew members on board, Kazakh authorities said, confirming 12 people had survived the tragic incident.
Kazakh media reported that a plane traveling from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya crashed at Aktau airport. Before the crash, the aircraft reportedly circled the airport several times while requesting an emergency landing before stalling and crashing.
Video of the incident has surfaced on social media, showing the flight descending abnormally toward the ground. Upon touching the runway, the plane erupts into flames.
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BREAKING: Azerbaijan Airlines flight traveling from Baku to Grozny crashes in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after reportedly requesting an emergency landing pic.twitter.com/hB5toqEFe2
— RT (@RT_com) December 25, 2024
Azerbaijan Airlines confirmed the crash in social media posts on X, Facebook, and Instagram. The posts, written in Kazakh and English, stated: “The Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flight numbered J2-8243 on the Baku-Grozny route, made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) near the city of Aktau. Additional information regarding the incident will be provided to the public.”
FlightRadar24.com data showed the flight’s last location near Aktau airport on Wednesday, December 25.
The Central Asian country’s emergencies ministry’s statement said that the fire had been doused. The survivors are being treated at a nearby hospital, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Russian news agencies reported that the plane was rerouted due to heavy fog in Grozny.
Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. They are exploring multiple possibilities, including a technical issue, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
(With Reuters inputs)