A passenger plane traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near Kazakhstan’s city of Aktau on Wednesday, Kazakh authorities said, confirming that 32 of the 67 people onboard survived, news agency Reuters reported.
At least 30 people are feared dead in the crash, though the exact number of casualties has yet to be confirmed. Russian news agencies reported that the plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, was en route from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya, but was rerouted due to fog in Grozny. Videos circulating on social media showed the plane descending at a low altitude before crashing and catching fire.
A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. (Reuters Photo)
Unverified footage of the crash showed the plane, Embraer 190 aircraft, operating as flight J2-8243, burst into flames upon hitting the ground with thick black smoke rising afterward. Bruised passengers were seen stumbling from a section of the fuselage that remained intact.
Kazakhstan’s emergency ministry said that fire services had put out the fire and survivors were being treated at a nearby hospital. The bodies of the deceased were being recovered.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what had happened and its members were ordered to fly to the site and ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed.
A drone view shows an emergency specialist approaching the bodies of the victims at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau. (Reuters Photo)
Following the crash, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, headed home from Russia where he had been to attend a summit on Wednesday, Russia’s RIA news agency reported, as quoted by Reuters. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, expressed his condolences in a statement and said some of those being treated in hospital were in an extremely serious condition and that he and others would pray for their rapid recovery.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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