 Authorities work at the scene of the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/VNA |
Unverified footage showed the plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, plunging towards ground at speed, and a resulting ball of flame.
Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said in a statement that firefighters had extinguished the blaze. The survivors are being treated at a nearby hospital. Among the injured were two children and nine people in critical condition.
According to Azerbaijan Airlines, the Embraer 190, flight number J2-8243, was flying from Baku to Grozny in Chechnya (Russia), but was forced to make an emergency landing about 3 km from the city of Aktau. There were 72 people on board. Kazakhstan media reported earlier that the flight was determined to have 105 passengers and 5 crew members.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, expressed condolences to the people and government of Azerbaijan after the plane crash, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Earlier, President Aliyev, who was visiting Russia, was forced to leave St. Petersburg to return home after news of the plane crash in Aktau, Kazakhstan. Mr. Aliyev came to St. Petersburg to attend the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Summit.