At least 38 people were killed and 29 others survived after an Azerbaijani passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, as reported by news agency Reuters. The survivors were rushed to the hospital for treatment, according to Kazakh authorities.
According to Reuters, Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea after what Russia’s aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.
An aviation expert, however, suggested that the cause behind the crash seemed unlikely. There was no immediate explanation from officials about why it had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes in southern Russia.
Speaking on the crash, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said that as per the information received by him, the plane changed course due to bad weather conditions. He, however, further stated that the exact cause of the crash was unknown and must be fully investigated. “This is a great tragedy that has become a tremendous sorrow for the Azerbaijani people,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
In the video of the crash, the plane was seen descending quickly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising. The crash left several passengers bloodied and bruised, and they were seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that remained intact. The passengers aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals.
Earlier, 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. The tragic incident reportedly left 42 dead, PTI reported citing Kazakhstan’s emergency ministry.
(With Reuters Inputs)