Barran Press
Kazakhstan authorities reported on December 25, 2024, that 42 people lost their lives in the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane in western Kazakhstan. Of the 67 people on board, 28 survived the tragic incident.
According to Russian news agency Sputnik, preliminary information indicates that the emergency landing was caused by a collision with a flock of birds. The Embraer 190 aircraft was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic when it encountered the disaster.
Reports suggest that the survivors were seated at the back of the plane, which crashed nose-first into the ground due to technical failure attributed to the bird strike.
In the aftermath of the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia, where he was scheduled to attend an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, as per his office’s statement. The Kazakh Ministry of Transport confirmed that the plane was on its way from Baku to Grozny when it went down near the city of Aktau.
Azerbaijani Airlines, the national carrier, stated that there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. The aircraft made an emergency landing approximately three kilometers from Aktau.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport reported that among the passengers were 37 from Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, and 16 from Russia.
Kazakhstan's emergency ministry confirmed that rescue teams managed to extinguish a fire that erupted following the crash. Initial reports indicated that 28 survivors, including two children, were transported to hospitals. A total of 150 rescue personnel were dispatched to the crash site.
Additionally, the Kazakh Ministry of Health announced that a specialized medical team had been sent from the capital, Astana, to assist the injured. Earlier reports from local medical authorities noted that 14 individuals were hospitalized, with five in intensive care.
President Aliyev has ordered an immediate investigation into the causes of this tragic disaster.