Azerbaijan Airlines plane bound for Russia veers hundreds of miles off course and crashes, killing dozens
An Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, killing dozens of passengers, according to reports.
Kazakh authorities announced that there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board the Embraer 190 flight from Azerbaijan to Russia, and said 32 survivors had been rescued.
Flight J2-8243 deviated hundreds of miles from its intended route and crashed across the Caspian Sea. Officials did not immediately explain why the plane crossed the sea, but the crash occurred shortly after a drone strike in southern Russia. Drone activity has closed airports in the region in the past, and the nearest Russian airport in the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Russia’s aviation regulator said it was an emergency and could have been caused by a bird strike.
Bus and truck collision in Brazil kills more than 30
The wreckage of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in this photo taken in a video released by the Mangisto regional government. (Mangisto Regional Government/AP Photo)
Kazakh officials said those on board included 42 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 citizens of Russia, 6 citizens of Kazakhstan and 3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan.
Both pilots died in the crash, Russia’s Interfax news agency said, citing initial assessments from first responders at the scene. The news agency also quoted medical personnel as saying that four bodies had been recovered from the accident so far.
The ministry told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti that a total of 29 survivors, including two children, had been taken to hospital, according to the Associated Press. The whereabouts of many passengers have yet to be determined.
Malaysia agrees to resume “no discovery, free” search for flight MH370 10 years after plane disappeared
The crash near the Kazakh city of Aktau is expected to kill more than 30 people. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)
Reuters reported that footage of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly, hitting the coast and bursting into flames, followed by thick black smoke. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling over intact pieces of the fuselage.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who was traveling to Russia, returned to Azerbaijan after hearing news of the crash, the Azerbaijani presidential press service said. Aliyev had planned to attend an informal meeting in St. Petersburg of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the former Soviet bloc of states established after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
On December 25, 2024, emergency rescue workers were at the site of a passenger plane crash in Azerbaijan. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)
Aliyev issued a statement on social media expressing condolences to the families of the victims.
“It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he wrote.
He also signed a decree declaring December 26 as a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.
According to the Associated Press, the plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus. (Mangisto Regional Government/AP Photo)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Azerbaijan Airlines said in a statement that it would update the public on the situation and change its social media banners to solid black.
“We ask God to have mercy on the passengers and crew who lost their lives,” said a translated statement aboard the X. “Their pain is our pain. We wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
