An aircraft following the Baku-Grozny route crashed near Aktau, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. The majority of the 69 passengers on board were citizens of Azerbaijan. Twenty-nine passengers, including two children, survived.
Initial reports about the crash came around 12 p.m. Astana time (UTC+5). A fire broke out at the crash site, and emergency workers arrived to extinguish it. In total, 52 rescuers with 11 units of equipment responded to the scene, managing to put out the fire within 30 minutes.
Various media reported that the crashed Embraer E190AR was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines.
The aircraft that crashed in Aktau was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines.
Before the tragedy, the aircraft made several go-arounds over the Aktau airport. The pilot requested landing in an emergency airport by sending the 7700 emergency code, indicating an accident or abnormal situation in aviation.
Kazaeronavigation confirmed that the Azerbaijani aircraft did indeed send an emergency signal. The cause was a bird strike and a malfunction in the steering system. Azerbaijan Airlines provided the same information.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, there were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board. Sixteen survivors, including a child, were initially reported.
“The regional hospital has received 14 injured individuals, who are currently being triaged in the admission ward. Of these, five with severe injuries have been admitted to the intensive care unit. The regional children’s hospital has received an 11-year-old child who is under observation. Another injured individual, a 16-year-old, is en route,” the agency said in a statement.
The Baza Telegram channel published a list of passengers, noting that the individuals on board included citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, with Azerbaijani citizens comprising the majority.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that the majority of passengers were Azerbaijani citizens, totaling 37. Additionally, there were six Kazakhstani citizens, three Kyrgyzstani citizens and 16 Russian citizens on board.
The transport police have opened a criminal case related to violation of safety regulations, resulting in the deaths of two or more individuals in connection with the aircraft crash.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has interrupted his visit to Saint Petersburg, where the informal Commonwealth of Independent States summit is being held, and returned to Baku.
According to the Kazinform news agency, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the cabinet to establish a special commission chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev to investigate the crash.
«Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also set a task to send a group of medical workers from Astana to Aktau to provide necessary help to those injured,» Kazinform reported.
Tokayev has also expressed his condolences to Aliyev.
«Sharing the grief of terrible loss, I express my sincere condolences to you, friends and families of the deceased as well as to all Azerbaijani people,» the statement read.
The presidents of Chechnya and Kyrgyzstan, Ramzan Kadyrov and Sadyr Japarov, have also expressed their condolences
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations officially confirmed 28 survivors within 90 minutes after the accident.
Later, at 2:16 (UTC+5), the agency updated the number of people on board to 69, instead of the previously reported 67. The number of citizens from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia remained the same, while the number of Azerbaijani citizens was revised from 37 to 42.
At 2:40 (UTC+5), the agencies reported a 29th survivor. The list of survivors released by the Ministry of Healthcare did not include any citizens of Kazakhstan. Later, two Kyrgyzstani nationals, 10 Russian citizens and 14 Azerbaijani citizens have been admitted to hospitals. The citizenship of three of the passengers is yet to be confirmed.
This list did not include the two pilots. The Azerbaijani Report media portal has reported their deaths.
