Aktau [Azerbaijan]: A passenger plane traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of four people, according to Al Jazeera, citing health officials and medical workers.
The crash involved flight number J2-8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau.
Azerbaijan’s Emergency Ministry reported that 29 people, including two children, survived the crash and were hospitalized. Al Jazeera quoted Russian news agency Interfax, which noted the possibility of more survivors, and medical workers confirmed that four bodies had been recovered.
Emergency responders, including 150 personnel, quickly arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire caused by the crash. Preliminary reports suggest the plane had requested permission to land at an alternative airport due to heavy fog in Grozny before the accident occurred.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the tragedy. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov conveyed, “We deeply sympathize with those who lost their relatives and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to all those who managed to survive.”
Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport, revealed initial findings indicating that the pilot had attempted an emergency landing following a bird strike.
Kazakhstan’s authorities confirmed that a government commission has been formed to investigate the incident. Members of the commission have been dispatched to the crash site to provide support to the families of the deceased and injured. The investigation will explore all possible factors contributing to the crash, according to Al Jazeera, citing Interfax.