“At the moment we know about 38 dead,” according to the Russian state agency TASS, the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kazakh government, Kanat Bozumbayev, published by the Kazakh server Tengrinews.
“Twenty-nine people, including two children, are injured in hospitals,” he added. According to him, approximately 11 people suffered serious injuries, the rest have moderate injuries.
The original information talked about 67 passengers and five crew members. The Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations subsequently refined the figure to a total of 67 people, including a five-member crew. This was finally confirmed by the company AZAL, which published the list of passengers on the website.
About 150 rescuers and 45 pieces of equipment intervened at the scene of the plane crash, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said. When the rescuers arrived, the front part of the machine was on fire. Shortly after the accident, the first images of the plane accident itself began to appear on social networks. The people sitting in the back of the plane survived the accident.
Other videos circulating on social networks show passengers praying shortly before the accident. Oxygen masks are also visible. Other videos capture the moments shortly after the impact.
One of the passengers on #Azerbaijan Airlines Flight recorded a video moments before the crash, sending it to his wife.
In the footage, passengers are heard praying Kalima Shahadat with oxygen masks already deployed. May the Almighty grant them the highest place in heaven.… pic.twitter.com/3d78Tdr67e
— Syed Adil سيد عدل (@SyedAdil101) December 25, 2024
There were 37 Azerbaijanis, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz citizens and 16 Russians on board the plane, the Kazakh Ministry of Transport said.
The cause of the accident is still unclear
According to the Chechen airport, the flight was diverted to Makhachkala due to fog. It is not clear what caused the crash. Some local media reports that the crew requested an emergency landing due to the fire. After the arrival of the rescuers, the machine was in flames. Other reports say that a collision with a flock of birds may be behind the accident.
The Ministry of Health of the Mangistau region stated that the cause of the accident was the explosion of a pressure cylinder on board the machine, TASS wrote.
Azerbaijan’s AZAL airline said later in the day that it had suspended all flights to Chechnya pending an investigation into the accident involving its Embraer 190.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has already offered his condolences to the families. He wrote on Instagram that he is praying for the quick recovery of the survivors. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also expressed their condolences to the families.
The Czech Republic also joined the condolences. “We are saddened to receive the news about the tragic plane crash in Kazakhstan, in which dozens of human lives were lost. We express our sincere condolences to all those who lost their loved ones. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims,” the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
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