Tengrinews.kz - The bodies of 10 victims out of 38 who died in the Baku-Grozny J2-8243 plane crash have been identified, according to Kazakhstan's Ministry for Emergency Situations.
"Three were citizens of Kazakhstan, three of Russia, and four of Azerbaijan. Work on identifying the remaining victims is ongoing. Meanwhile, 20 injured individuals remain in medical facilities, and all 29 hospitalized survivors have been identified," the ministry stated.
Two flights are expected to depart carrying Azerbaijani delegation members and 14 injured passengers.
Emergency response teams are continuing their efforts at the crash site, with 235 personnel, 98 pieces of equipment, two canine units, and specialists from the Ministry for Emergency Situations’ Center of Disaster Medicine, as well as local police and regional authorities.
On December 25, the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, flying from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Russia), crashed three kilometers from Aktau at 11:30 AM local time. The passenger flight was unable to land in Grozny due to heavy fog. It was first redirected to Makhachkala, and then to Aktau.
There are several versions of the cause of the crash. According to one version, the crash was caused by a collision of the plane with a flock of birds. Other media outlets report that an oxygen tank exploded on board. The Embraer lost control and crashed when it was less than 3 minutes away from Aktau Airport.
According to the Ministry for Emergency Situations, there were 69 people on board, including 5 crew members:
42 citizens of Azerbaijan;
16 citizens of Russia;
6 citizens of Kazakhstan;
3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan;
two unidentified women of unknown citizenship, one about 32 years old, the other about 40 years old.
Azerbaijan Airlines also published a full list of passengers.
What is known about the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Aktau
The aircraft that crashed near Aktau was an Embraer ERJ-190, a twin-engine jet widely used for short and medium-haul flights. The aircraft is manufactured by a Brazilian company. The ERJ-190 (E190) is designed to carry between 96 and 114 passengers, depending on the cabin configuration. These aircraft can fly up to 4500 kilometers.
According to FlightAware, the aircraft took off from the airport 11 minutes ahead of schedule. While cruising over the Caspian Sea, the aircraft issued an emergency squawk 7700.
