A passenger jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines with 67 people on board crashed in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday, resulting in dozens of fatalities. The Embraer 190 aircraft veered off its scheduled route and went down near Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
Kazakh authorities reported 28 survivors, including two children, who have been hospitalized. Emergency workers extinguished a fire at the crash site, while specialist doctors were dispatched from the capital, Astana, to provide medical aid.
The plane, flying from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Chechnya, made an emergency landing approximately three kilometers (1.9 miles) from Aktau. Azerbaijan Airlines confirmed the presence of 62 passengers and five crew members on board.
The victims included 37 Azerbaijani nationals, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz, and 16 Russians. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who was attending a summit in Russia, returned home to oversee the response to the disaster.
Azerbaijan’s First Lady and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva expressed her condolences, as did Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Aliyeva said.
Initial reports indicated the plane deviated from its usual route over the Caspian Sea before circling near the crash site. Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation into the tragedy.
Stay updated on this developing story with Hobnob News.
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