On the morning of December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 passenger plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed in Aktau in western Kazakhstan.
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reported that the plane had 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Earlier, the media reported a different number of passengers on board, ranging from 67 to 105.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, there were 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 of Russia, six of Kazakhstan, and three of Kyrgyzstan on board. The Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that 28 people survived the plane crash, two of them were children. The victims were taken to hospital in severe condition. There is no information about the dead yet.
According to preliminary data, the plane sent a distress signal over the Caspian Sea, as reported by the Azerbaijani news agency APA. After that, the airliner headed to Kazakhstan for an emergency landing. The cause of the accident was a collision with a flock of birds, Sputnik Azerbaijan reports, citing the airline. At the same time, Orda.kz reports that a cylinder exploded on board the plane. Kazakh police opened a criminal case over the plane crash.
The plane was heading to Kazakhstan after failing to get permission to land in Grozny due to fog. The aircraft was then redirected to Makhachkala and then to Aktau.
Aktau airport is now operating as usual.