An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan, close to the Caspian Sea, on Wednesday morning, according to Kazakh authorities.
The flight, en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, was diverted to Aktau due to heavy fog in Grozny, as reported by Russian news agencies.
The Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that the plane carried 69 people, including 64 passengers and five crew members. While 29 individuals survived, many were hospitalized, with some in critical condition. Among the injured were two children. Officials are still determining the exact number of fatalities, stating that the list of casualties is being finalized.
Preliminary investigations suggest the crash could have been caused by a bird strike, mechanical failure, or issues related to the weather-induced rerouting.
The Transport Ministry revealed that the passengers included 37 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakh nationals, and three Kyrgyz citizens.
The aircraft, an Embraer 190 operating under flight number J2-8243, reportedly attempted an emergency landing about two miles from Aktau. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev canceled his planned participation in a Commonwealth of Independent States meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, following the tragedy.
During a phone call, President Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin extended condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
At the St. Petersburg meeting, Putin announced that a Russian Emergency Ministry team had been dispatched to Aktau with medical personnel and additional resources to aid in the response.
