SRINAGAR: An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. The Embraer 190 aircraft, scheduled to fly from Baku to Grozny in southern Russia, veered off its intended route and went down three kilometres from Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the Caspian Sea’s eastern shore.
Flight data revealed the plane deviated from its course and circled over the area before the crash. Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev described the situation as “not very good,” confirming the death toll. Kazakhstan’s Emergency Situations Ministry reported that 29 survivors, including two children, were hospitalised following the incident. The survivors were predominantly seated in the rear section of the aircraft.
Among the victims were 23 of the 37 Azerbaijani nationals onboard, along with all six Kazakh citizens. Seven of the 16 Russian passengers and two of the five crew members also lost their lives. Notably, all three Kyrgyz nationals onboard survived.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a national day of mourning and cancelled his attendance at a Commonwealth of Independent States summit in St Petersburg. Aliyev expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and ordered a thorough investigation. A state commission, led by Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov, has been formed to determine the cause of the disaster. Officials, including Azerbaijan’s deputy prosecutor general and transport minister, have travelled to the crash site to aid the inquiry.
The “black box” from the aircraft has been recovered, and Kazakhstan has launched its own investigation into the crash. Emergency workers extinguished a fire at the crash site, and additional medical teams were dispatched from Astana to treat the injured.
Leaders from the region, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, conveyed their condolences. The tragedy has left the nations involved grappling with the immense loss, as investigations continue into the cause of the crash. (Based on international media coverage)
