An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane carrying 62 passengers and five crew members crashed on Wednesday, killing at least 38 people
The Embraer 190 aircraft went down about three kilometers (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau during an attempted emergency landing.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev confirmed the death toll, saying, “The situation is not very good, 38 dead,” according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. The plane was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, when the crash occurred.
Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general’s office reported that 32 people survived the crash. It stated, “We cannot disclose any investigation results at this time. All possible scenarios are being examined, and the necessary expert analyses are underway.” An investigative team led by Azerbaijan’s deputy prosecutor general is working at the crash site.
The airline has temporarily suspended flights from Baku to Russia’s Chechnya region pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Preliminary reports suggest the plane requested to land at an alternative airport due to heavy fog in Grozny before the crash. Russia’s aviation watchdog cited a possible bird strike as the reason for the emergency landing attempt.
The passengers included citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, according to Al Jazeera. Azerbaijan Airlines has established a hotline for the families of those on board.
Kazakhstan has launched a government commission to investigate the crash and ensure assistance for victims’ families. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has cut short a visit to Russia in response to the tragedy.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov offered condolences, saying, “We deeply sympathize with those who lost their relatives and friends and wish a speedy recovery to the survivors.” Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also expressed his sympathies in a statement.
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