An Azerbaijan Airlines plane has crashed on Christmas day near Kazakhstan’s Aktau airport. The Embraer 190 aircraft was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members.
The flight, J2-8243, was en route from the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku to Grozny in southern Russia.
The crash resulted in at least four fatalities and several injuries.
Russia’s aviation watchdog claims, “Preliminary information showed that the pilot had chosen to divert to Kazakhstan’s Aktau after a bird strike on the aircraft led to an emergency on board.”
This is a full length video of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan. What the hell happened? pic.twitter.com/7CL6SwMne8
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 25, 2024
But conflicting information say the plane was rerouted due to a fog. However, closer look at the footage of the plane reveals shrapnel holes that could suggest the aircraft was fired at.
Flight-tracking data also showed that the aircraft had faced “strong GPS jamming” before the crash, leading the plane’s pilot to make an emergency landing in Aktau on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea – adding another dimension to the crash mystery.
The incident occurred amidst heightened tensions in the region, with drone strikes from Ukraine reported in southern Russia on the same day. The nearest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning due to drone activity, which has previously shut down airports in the area.
The crash is under investigation by Kazakhstani, Azerbaijani, and Russian authorities.
One of the passengers on Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 sent a video to his wife just minutes before the crash.
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) December 25, 2024
In the video, passengers are heard praying and some oxygen masks are already down. pic.twitter.com/dGqnyXSPGU
Embraer, the plane’s manufacturer, has offered to help. The investigation will attempt to unravel the circumstances surrounding the crash; bird strike, weather conditions or a possible drone attack, necessitating the emergency landing.
One passenger on board took graphic video that showed the tense situation inside the plane moments the crash. It’s unclear if he survived.
Condolences and Investigation
Rescue efforts were swift, with 32 survivors rescued, including two children, who are being treated at a nearby hospital. Some survivors are in critical condition.
Authorities have recovered four bodies from the wreckage, and both pilots are presumed dead.
Some survivors were seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact, with some badly injured and covered in blood.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.
Azerbaijan has declared December 26 a day of mourning.
Putin also spoke to Aliyev on the phone and expressed his condolences.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry is sending a plane with equipment and medical workers to Kazakhstan to assist with the aftermath of the crash.
Comment, Like 👍, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
