Worthy Christian News > World News > Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crashes, Dozens Killed

Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crashes, Dozens Killed

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

AKTAU/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – An Embraer passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying that 32 people had survived.

At least 29 survivors, a tally that is believed to include two children, were being treated in a nearby hospital, officials said.

A preliminary assessment suggested that both pilots had died in the crash, Russian media reported, citing medical workers.

Unverified footage of the crash reviewed by Worthy News showed the impact of the collision involving the aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines.

Pieces of the plane were spread out in a field after it burst into flames and hit the ground on the seashore.

Thick black smoke was rising from the crash site, according to eyewitness accounts.

Soon after the crash, bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact, witnesses said.

EMERGENCIES MINISTRY

Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry explained that fire services had put out the blaze and that the bodies of the dead were being recovered.

Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 jet, with flight number J2-8243, was flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of the Chechnya region in southern Russia.

However, it was forced to make an emergency landing around 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan. Aktau is on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan and Russia.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. However, authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up “to investigate what had happened.”

Unconfirmed reports suggested that the pilot may have attempted an emergency landing due to a bird strike, a hazard that continues to challenge aviation safety worldwide.

The government commission members were ordered to fly to the site on Christmas Day to ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed, officials explained.

However, tragedy marks another significant loss for Azerbaijan Airlines, which experienced several accidents in its history, including a fatal crash in 2005 involving an Antonov An-140 aircraft crashing into the Caspian Sea, killing all 23 passengers and crew on board.

Investigations discovered that three independent gyroscopes were not providing stabilized heading and attitude information to the crew early in the flight, contributing to the crash.