Aktau: A plane crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, left over 20 passengers surviving while many others were feared dead. The Azerbaijan Airlines flight, carrying more than 60 people, crashed near the city’s airport, according to reports from the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry on Wednesday.
The aircraft, an Embraer 190, was traveling from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya. However, due to dense fog in Grozny, the plane was rerouted, Russian news agencies reported. The plane crashed shortly after being diverted to Aktau, approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the airport.
BREAKING: Passenger plane crashes near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan pic.twitter.com/M2DtYe6nZU
— BNO News (@BNONews) December 25, 2024
At least 25 survivors were confirmed in the crash, but authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of fatalities. Social media footage reportedly showed the aircraft plummeting to the ground, followed by a massive fireball. Other images captured first responders working near the wreckage, attempting to rescue any survivors.
The plane, flight number 8243, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. Initial reports indicated that the plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to possible technical issues. Authorities in Kazakhstan are investigating the cause of the crash, including whether it was caused by a technical malfunction.
First video has appeared from the crash site of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan's Aktau.
— RT (@RT_com) December 25, 2024
The plane was traveling from Baku to Grozny, and reportedly requested emergency landing before the tragedy happened. pic.twitter.com/PTi1IWtz1w
The fire that broke out after the crash was extinguished by Kazakhstan’s fire services, and survivors have been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
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This crash follows another deadly aviation incident earlier this week. On Sunday, 10 people lost their lives in Brazil when a small aircraft crashed into the tourist town of Gramado. The plane, which was carrying both passengers and crew, hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a mobile phone shop. In addition to the fatalities, more than a dozen people on the ground were injured, some suffering from smoke inhalation. The cause of the crash remains unclear, and authorities are still investigating.
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Local media reports suggest that the passengers of the Brazilian crash were members of the same family, traveling from Rio Grande do Sul to Sao Paulo state.
