Christmas Day Disaster: Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Catches Fire, 105 On Board,28 survived
An Azerbaijan Airlines flight carrying 105 passengers and crew crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, erupting into a massive fireball upon impact.
The Embraer E190AR aircraft, registered as 4K-AZ65, was traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, when it reportedly encountered difficulties and attempted an emergency landing in Aktau, western Kazakhstan.
The crash occurred after the plane issued a distress signal over the Caspian Sea at an altitude of 2,125 feet, citing a bird strike that caused a steering failure. The plane descended steeply with its nose pointed downward before making impact, breaking apart and bursting into flames.
Thick black smoke and flames engulfed the wreckage as emergency responders battled the blaze. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that preliminary reports indicate there are survivors.
Kazakhstan’s Health Minister, Akmaral Alnazarova, stated that at least six people survived but were in critical condition, while other sources suggested as many as 12 survivors.
Initially, reports mistakenly claimed there were only 67 people aboard. Authorities later confirmed that 105 passengers and five crew members were on the flight, including at least 60 Russian nationals.
The flight had been rerouted from Grozny and Makhachkala due to heavy fog. Grozny, the flight’s destination, is the capital of Chechnya, a Russian-controlled region frequently involved in military operations supporting the war in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan’s air navigation service, Kazaeronavigatsiya, confirmed the plane declared an emergency following the bird strike and subsequent loss of steering control.
Azerbaijan Airlines has not yet released a statement regarding the incident. Investigation efforts are ongoing to determine the full details of the crash.
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