The Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, had reportedly requested an emergency landing before the incident. The flight was carrying 67 passengers onboard, including five crew members. According to reports, the plane was flying from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya. However, it was re-routed due to a fog in Grozny.
“A plane doing the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines,” the Kazakh transport ministry said.
The plane, Embraer 190, had initially made an emergency landing around three kilometers from Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
Videos on social media showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude and bursting into flames upon crashing.
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
It is not yet clear how many people have died, but preliminary information revealed that 14 people have been rescued so far. Several visuals also showed ambulances at the crash site as the survivors were being deboarded from the emergency exit located at the rear end of the aircraft.
According to the country’s emergencies ministry, the fire services have put out the blaze and the survivors are being treated at a nearby hospital.
“At the moment, 14 survivors have been taken to the regional hospital, including five in intensive care,” the health ministry’s regional department said in a statement, reported AFP.