Azerbaijan Airlines flight J28243 crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 – however 29 onboard survive | EUROtoday

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An worldwide investigation has begun into how an Embraer 190 passenger jet with 67 folks onboard crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 folks however leaving 29 survivors

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J28243, which had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia‘s Chechnya, crash-landed instead at Aktau airport.

Unverified video footage of the crash showed the aircraft descending – apparently with control problems – and hitting the ground where it burst into flames.

Children were among the survivors being treated at a nearby hospital, authorities said in a statement.

Some of the videos posted on social media showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage.

Russia’s aviation watchdog a preliminary investigation indicated the pilot determined to alter touchdown web site after “a collision with birds”.

But Reuters information company famous that the aircraft had diverted from an space of Russia that Moscow has just lately defended towards Ukrainian drone assaults.

The information company quoted Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, who additionally raised doubt over a chicken strike.

“You can lose control of the plane, but you don’t fly wildly off course as a consequence,” he mentioned.

However, Azeri president Ilham Aliyev mentioned that it was too quickly to invest on the explanations behind the crash, and mentioned unhealthy climate in Grozny had pressured the flight to divert.

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Mr Aliyev mentioned: “The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing.”

Commercial aviation-tracking web sites monitored the flight because it flew north on its scheduled route alongside the west coast earlier than it disappeared. It then reappeared on the east coast, the place it circled close to Aktau airport earlier than crashing into the seashore.

Kazakh officers mentioned these aboard the aircraft included 42 Azerbaijani residents, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals. Five of the 67 have been crew.

Transport prosecutor, Timur Suleimenov, informed a briefing that the aircraft’s black field, which comprises flight information to assist decide the reason for a crash, had been discovered, Interfax reported.

President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences, whereas Mr Aliyev determined to return house from Russia the place he had been attributable to attend a summit.

“Unfortunately, Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev was forced to leave St Petersburg [where he had a summit]. Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Azerbaijani plane in Aktau,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned.

“We deeply sympathise with those who lost their relatives and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to all those who managed to survive.”

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Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed chief of Chechnya, expressed his condolences in a press release and mentioned a few of these being handled in hospital have been in an especially severe situation and that he and others would pray for his or her restoration.

Kazakhstani, Azerbaijani and Russian authorities mentioned they have been investigating the crash. Embraer mentioned in a press release it’s “ready to assist all relevant authorities”.

Azerbaijan Airlines suspended all its flights from Baku to Russia’s Chechnya till the investigation is completed, Russia’s state TASS information company reported.

Additional reporting by companies