Almost 40 dead, plane could have been shot down by Russian air defense system: all about the plane crash in Kazakhstan on December 25

Almost 40 dead, plane could have been shot down by Russian air defense system: all about the plane crash in Kazakhstan on December 25 Vladislav Kravtsov

On December 25, an Embraer-190 plane crashed in Kazakhstan with 69 people on board. It was an Azerbaijani airliner flying from Baku to Grozny, Russia.

Almost 40 people on board the aircraft, including passengers and pilots, died in the crash. The main thing about the crash of the Azerbaijani plane near Aktau in Kazakhstan on December 25 – read in the material 24 Channel.

How the plane crash near Aktau on December 25 happened

The plane crash involving the Embraer-190 plane occurred on the morning of December 25. It is reported that the plane was heading from Baku to Grozny, Russia.

According to one source, there were 67 passengers and 5 crew members on board. Preliminary, they were citizens of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In particular, there were 15 Russians.

Plane crash near Aktau in Kazakhstan: watch the video

It is noted that due to fog in Grozny, the Embraer 190 was rerouted to Makhachkala, and then to Aktau.

Plane crashes in Kazakhstan: watch the video

Russian publics report that the plane could have changed course due to the threat of a drone attack on Chechnya. In Grozny itself, the “Carpet” plan was announced. Around 07:40 local time, explosions were heard in the city.

Stills from the site of the Embraer 190 plane crash near Aktau/Photos from social networks

At the time of the crash near the city of Aktau, the plane was operated by “Azerbaijani airlines”, caught fire, but the fire was extinguished, authorities said.

Moment of plane crash in Kazakhstan: watch video

The Internet also published a video from the plane a few moments before the crash. In the footage, you can see that people in the cabin are worried, praying, and oxygen masks have already fallen out over some seats.

What were the last moments before the crash in the Embraer plane: watch the video

Azerbaijani publics also published footage showing holes in the fuselage of the plane. They point out that they are very similar to traces of elements or debris that could have hit the aircraft.

The Embraer 190 that crashed was manufactured in 2013 in Brazil. At that time, it was leased by Azerbaijan Airlines. All these years, the plane flew to Russia. There were no serious accidents with it, Russian media reports.

A black box was also found at the crash site. It was handed over to investigators, Kazakhstan's Chief Transport Prosecutor Timur Suleimanov said at a briefing. The commission investigating the crash was headed by Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the crash.

Azerbaijan declared a day of mourning on December 26 following the crash of their AZAL airliner.

How many people died and were injured after the plane crash

Kazakhstan's Vice Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said that as of 19:44 local time (16:44 Kyiv time), it is known about 38 passengers killed as a result of the plane crash in the Aktau region.

The head of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev noted that 7 Russians died as a result of the plane crash.

Footage of the plane crash in Kazakhstan/Photo by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan and the Akimat of the Mangystau region

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan, 29 people were hospitalized, three of them are children. Among those hospitalized are 15 citizens of Azerbaijan, 9 citizens of Russia, 3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan, and the citizenship of 2 people is being clarified. 11 people are in serious condition.

The Azerbaijani task force also reported that the pilots who were flying the plane, according to preliminary data, did not survive the crash.

How many people survived

According to preliminary data, a total of 32 people survived the crash, including 10 Russians. There were 69 people on board the crashed plane. Also, 3 crew members remained alive.

Most of the surviving passengers were sitting in the tail section of the plane. According to media reports, the plane could have crashed into residential buildings, and at the last moment the pilots diverted it to the outskirts of the airport to avoid a large number of casualties.

A list of those who survived was also published online. It includes 29 people, including Russians. Interestingly, it states that 10, not 7 Russian citizens, survived.

Who survived the plane crash/Photo rosSMI

It is reported that among the people who survived, there were also 2 children.

Among the passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane were 16 Russian citizens, of which 10 names are listed on the list of those who survived.

What is known about the Russians who were on board:

• 48-year-old Subhonkul Rakhimov from Yekaterinburg was flying to Grozny on business with a transfer in Baku. He survived and was almost unharmed;
• Another resident of Yekaterinburg, Narmina Igitova, was visiting relatives in Baku and was flying to Grozny to go from there to her daughter in Nalchik. She is considered missing;
• 28-year-old Ramin Agayev, an employee of the Russian airline Ural Airlines, was flying from Baku to Grozny on one of his days off. According to preliminary data from Ural Airlines, Agayev survived, but has not yet made contact;
• 45-year-old cosmetologist Zaira Atsayeva was flying to Grozny from Turkey via Baku, her relative said. Nothing is known about the woman's fate;
• Russian woman Kristina Evstigneeva was flying from Vladivostok to Baku for a work meeting. She survived and is in serious condition in the neurosurgery department;
• 36-year-old Zaur Mamedov was flying to Grozny from his father's funeral. His brother confirmed this information and also said that Mamedov survived and is in hospital.

What could be the cause of the plane crash in Kazakhstan

Russian media reported that the plane collided with a flock of birds before the crash, but this has not been confirmed. After the tragedy, Kazakhstan's emergency services reported a probable explosion of an oxygen cylinder on board.

At the same time, the head of the National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation, Lieutenant Andrey Kovalenko, claims that the Embraer 190 aircraft of the Azerbaijani airline, which was flying from Baku to Grozny, was shot down by a Russian air defense system. According to Kovalenko, Russia was supposed to close the airspace over Grozny, but did not do so. The plane was damaged by the Russians and was sent to Kazakhstan instead of making an emergency landing in Grozny and saving people's lives.

This is also confirmed by the words of Subkhonkul Rakhimov, who survived the plane crash in Aktau. The man told Russian propagandists that the pilots tried to land the plane three times in Grozny, but “the third time something exploded.”

According to him, the explosion was not inside the plane, but somewhere outside. He also noted that there were holes from debris in his rescue occupant.

At the same time, Russian z-channels have also begun to spread theories that the plane could have been shot down from the ground.

Interestingly, Azerbaijan Airlines subsequently announced that it was temporarily suspending flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala. They noted that flights would resume after the investigation into the causes of the Embraer E190AR crash in Aktau was completed.