Off The Record

On Christmas Day, A Terrible Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crashed In Kazakhstan

Published on December 25, 2024

On Christmas Day, 42 people lost their lives and 28 survived the terrible Azerbaijan Airlines jet crash in Kazakhstan.

A path of devastation and heartache was left behind when the Embraer 190 aircraft crashed close to Aktau, Kazakhstan, and caught fire.

The catastrophe occurred as the Azerbaijan Airlines flight, which was traveling from Baku to Grozny with 67 passengers and five crew members, was in route.

Thick black smoke surrounded the accident site as footage showed the plane exploding into a flame as soon as it impacted the ground.

Hurt and confused, the survivors’ faces bore the scars of their ordeal as they emerged from the debris.

Crash Details and Emergency Response

Three kilometers from Aktau, a significant oil and gas hub, the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft crashed in Kazakhstan.

The aircraft, which was identified as an Embraer E190AR, was 2,125 feet above the Caspian Sea when it issued a distress call.

According to preliminary assessments, the disastrous event was caused by an oxygen tank onboard exploding due to a bird hit.

Rescue crews moved swiftly to put out the fire and take survivors to nearby hospitals. Seven of the 28 survivors—two of whom are children, ages 11 and 16—remain very ill.

Sadly, unverified sources indicate that both pilots perished, and the only crew member to survive was a female flight attendant.

Reactions and International Condolence

There was a lot of sadness and sympathy following the Azerbaijan Airlines plane disaster in Kazakhstan.

After the tragedy, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who was in Russia for a conference, went back home right away.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, promised to pray for the surviving, while Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his sympathies to Aliyev.

A government commission has been established by Kazakhstani authorities to investigate the incident, determine its cause, and provide assistance to the families of the dead.

As a sign of the community’s support during this trying time, locals were asked to donate blood for the injured survivors.

Eyewitness Accounts and Survivor Stories

Passengers were seen staggering from the severed rear of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft in Kazakhstan, while others slumped on the ground in disbelief, according to dramatic footage from the incident.

After the jet was rerouted due to heavy fog between Grozny and Makhachkala, witnesses recounted the terrifying moments as it attempted an emergency landing in Aktau.

After the oxygen tank exploded, survivors described how smoke filled the cabin, knocking several people out. As a somber reminder of the tragedy, the crash left mangled wreckage all over the Aktau airport grounds.

Global Investigation Underway

Authorities from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are working together to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that occurred near Kazakhstan.

Officials are looking into possible technical issues in an effort to stop disasters like this from happening again.