An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 passenger jet, Flight J2-8243, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, killing 38 of the 67 people onboard.
The aircraft, traveling from Baku to Grozny, Russia, made an emergency landing about 3 kilometers from Aktau airport. Flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 revealed that the aircraft appeared to perform a figure-eight maneuver as it approached the airport in Aktau. In the final minutes of the flight, its altitude fluctuated significantly before it crashed.
This video shows what happened in the minutes before the plane crash in Kazakhstan. The plane repeatedly went up and down before crashing. pic.twitter.com/dQ0H1c9R0R
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) December 25, 2024
INSANE FOOTAGE
An Azeri civilian plane traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Chechnya, was diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan, where it unexpectedly crashed near the airfield for reasons yet unknown. pic.twitter.com/FgaxytTuPH
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 25, 2024
The final moments of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane before its crash in Kazakhstan were captured by a passenger onboard.
Aftermath also included in the footage. pic.twitter.com/nCRozjdoUY
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 25, 2024
The Kazakhstan Ministry of Transport reported that the plane was carrying 37 Azerbaijani nationals, along with 6 Kazakh, 3 Kyrgyz, and 16 Russian citizens. In response to the crash, 52 personnel and 11 units of equipment from the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations were deployed to the site to support rescue and recovery efforts.
Initial reports indicate that 12 people with varying degrees of injury were transported from the crash site to Mangystau Regional Hospital in Aktau, while other survivors are receiving medical care.
Survivors of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan coming out from the wreckage. pic.twitter.com/icUjPSrsGj
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 25, 2024
According to a Euronews report citing official sources involved in the crash investigation, as the flight approached its destination near Groznyy, surviving passengers reported hearing an explosion, followed by what appeared to be shrapnel striking the plane and entering the fuselage.
The information aligns with a report from Azerbaijan-based international news outlet AnewZ, which cites a Russian military blogger who speculates that the damage to the aircraft indicates it may have been accidentally hit by an air-defense missile system.
Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended its flights to Chechnya pending investigation results.
Officials, including Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, have declared a national day of mourning and pledged full cooperation in the investigation.
