A drone view shows the crash site of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. AZAMAT SARSENBAYEV / REUTERS An airliner of the Azerbaijan Airlines airline, which was flying a flight between Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, and Grozny, capital of the Russian Caucasian republic of Chechnya, crashed on Wednesday, December 25, near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, local authorities announced. Thirty-two people survived the crash, out of 67 people on board, announced the Azerbaijani Prosecutor’s Office. “We cannot release the results of the investigation at this time. All possible scenarios are being examined, and the necessary expertise is underway,” he added, specifying that a team of Azerbaijani investigators had traveled to Kazakhstan and “are working on the scene”. For its part, the Kazakh Interior Ministry announced the opening of an investigation for “violation of air transport safety and operational rules”. A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. AZAMAT SARSENBAYEV / REUTERS In videos published by Russian media, the plane is seen hitting the ground, a gigantic fire immediately breaking out. Other images show the plane on the ground, partially charred, the front of the aircraft having been completely destroyed. After the crash, “the plane caught fire”, declared the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations, specifying that it had dispatched 150 rescuers to the scene. Origin of crash unknown According to Azerbaijan Airlines, 62 passengers and five crew members were on board the plane, which “made an emergency landing” about three kilometers from Aktau. “According to initial information, there were 37 Azerbaijani nationals, six Kazakh nationals, three Kyrgyz citizens and 16 Russian citizens” on board the aircraft, said the Kazakh transport ministry. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who arrived in Russia to participate in an informal summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) near St. Petersburg with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, decided to interrupt his visit and return urgently in Azerbaijan, according to the press service of the Azerbaijani presidency. “I offer my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this crash (…) and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Mr. Aliev said in a message on social networks. He also ordered to take “urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster”, according to the press service of the Azerbaijani presidency. Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, according to the Kremlin. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover The Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, expressed on Telegram his “condolences” to the families of the victims and assured “pray God for the healing” of the wounded. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Azerbaijan Airlines initially claimed that the plane had hit a flock of birds, before withdrawing this information. For its part, the regional department of the Kazakh Ministry of Health reported, in a press release, a “balloon explosion” on board the aircraft, without further details. According to the Flightradar24 service, which allows the movement of planes to be monitored in real time, the aircraft crossed the Caspian Sea by deviating from its normal route, before circling above the area where it crashed. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
