Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, 29 survive

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. Photo: Screengrab/video/X/via iKurd.net

ASTANA,— An Azerbaijani passenger plane with 67 people aboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakh city of Aktau, killing many and leaving at least 29 survivors, according to officials. Authorities fear more than 38 may have died.

Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry reported via Telegram that the flight included five crew members. At least 29 individuals were hospitalized, the ministry told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

Emergency responders recovered four bodies, according to Interfax, and preliminary reports suggest both pilots perished in the crash.

The Embraer 190 jet, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, attempted an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) from Aktau. The airline said the aircraft was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny, Russia.

Initial reports from Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry listed 25 survivors, but the number was later revised several times, ultimately reaching 29, according to Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office. The final death toll remains uncertain.

Azerbaijan Airlines confirmed the passengers included 37 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakh nationals, and three from Kyrgyzstan. The crash reportedly followed a bird strike that caused an in-flight emergency, according to Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia.

Videos circulating online showed the plane descending steeply before erupting in flames upon impact. Additional footage revealed wreckage scattered in a field, with survivors seen dragging injured passengers to safety.

The plane’s fuselage was severely damaged, and part of it lay overturned.

Flight data from FlightRadar24.com indicated erratic altitude changes shortly before the crash. The site later noted the aircraft experienced “strong GPS jamming,” which led to inaccurate flight tracking data. Russia has been accused of GPS interference in the region previously.

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan — The wreckage of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan, as seen in this video released by the Mangystau region administration on December 25, 2024. Photo: Mangystau administration/via AP

Azerbaijan Airlines expressed condolences and pledged to keep the public updated. The company also switched its social media banners to black in mourning.

Azerbaijan’s state news agency, Azertac, reported that a delegation including the emergency situations minister, deputy general prosecutor, and an airline vice president traveled to the crash site for an investigation.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who was in Russia for a regional summit, returned home after the crash. In a statement, he offered condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a swift recovery.

Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani authorities are conducting a joint investigation, and Embraer has pledged its cooperation. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer said it is ready to assist all relevant parties.

(With files from AP)