Tengrinews.kz - President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev commented on the plane crash in Aktau.
During an emergency meeting held immediately after his return to Baku from St. Petersburg, Ilham Aliyev stated that the causes of the crash are still unknown.
"According to the information provided to me, the AZAL airline plane, which was en route from Baku to Grozny, changed its course due to deteriorating weather conditions and began heading toward Aktau airport, where the accident occurred during landing," said Aliyev.
Aliyev also mentioned that there are images of the moment of the crash circulating in the media and social networks, which are accessible to everyone.
"However, the causes of the crash are unknown. There are various versions. I believe it is too early to discuss this matter. The issue must be fully investigated," he concluded.
Earlier, the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, flying from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Russia), crashed three kilometers from Aktau at 11:30 AM local time on December 25. The passenger flight was unable to land in Grozny due to heavy fog, first it was 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 of 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.
According to the latest data, there are 29 survivors, citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan.
What is known about the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near AktauThe aircraft that crashed near Aktau was an Embraer ERJ-190, a twin-engine jet widely used for short and medium-haul flights. The aircraft are 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.
