Azerbaijan Airlines flight carrying 105 passengers and crew crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, erupting into a massive fireball upon impact.
The ill-fated plane was en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, when it reportedly encountered difficulties.
The aircraft went down while attempting an emergency landing, igniting upon contact with the ground. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky as flames engulfed the wreckage.
The Daily Mail reports that an Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, crashed while attempting an emergency landing in Aktau, western Kazakhstan.
The aircraft, an Embraer E190AR with registration number 4K-AZ65, had 105 passengers and five crew members on board.
Earlier reports mistakenly indicated there were only 67 people aboard.
The plane burst into flames and broke apart upon landing. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that firefighters were battling the blaze at the crash site.
“Information about casualties is being clarified, but preliminary reports indicate there are survivors,” the ministry stated.
Kazakhstan’s Health Minister, Akmaral Alnazarova, reported that at least six people survived the crash but were in critical condition.
Another source suggested the number of survivors could be as high as 12.
The aircraft had issued a distress signal over the Caspian Sea at an altitude of 2,125 feet. Reports indicate the crash was caused by a collision with a bird, which led to a steering failure.
The plane was seen descending steeply with its nose pointed downward as it attempted to land.
Meanwhile, the flight had been rerouted from Grozny and Makhachkala, another Russian city, due to heavy fog.
According to Kazaeronavigatsiya, Kazakhstan’s air navigation service, the aircraft declared an emergency after the bird strike and loss of steering control.
At least 60 of the passengers were Russian nationals.
Grozny, the flight’s destination, is the capital of Chechnya, a region controlled by Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chechnya frequently sends troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
However, Azerbaijan Airlines has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident.