Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, leaving 38 dead, 29 survivors, officials say

By Hassan Tayir, Aruzhan Zeinulla and Kara Fox, CNN

Astana, Kazakhstan (CNN) — An Azerbaijani airliner carrying 67 people crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing at least 38 who were on board, according to a Kazakh authorities.

In a sprawling rescue operation, 29 survivors including two children were pulled from the wreckage, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said, adding that 11 were in critical condition.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was traveling from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya before it made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau, the carrier said.

Footage from the crash site captured the moment dazed survivors emerged from the charred plane. All of the survivors have been taken to hospitals, Kazakh authorities said earlier. None of those who survived were Kazakh nationals, the deputy prime minister said.

“The bodies are in poor condition, mostly burnt, all collected,” Bozumbayev said. “Now they will be in the morgue, and identification will take place.”

There is only one survivor whose identity remains unknown, according to Bozumbayev. “She is unconscious, has no documents, and is in the hospital,” he added.

A search team has located the plane’s black box, the Azerbaijan state news agency AZERTAC reported, and the Kazakhstan government has set up a commission to investigate the cause of the crash and assist passengers’ families. The government will cooperate with Azerbaijan on the investigation, it said.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said its teams found the aircraft on fire upon arrival at the scene with rescue units extinguishing the fire on arrival.

Video of the crash showed the plane erratically circling the airfield before the crash. As it hit the ground, the aircraft burst into flames, with bloodied passengers emerging from the wreckage shortly after.

One woman who joined the rescue effort told Radio Free Europe’s Kazakh Service that she witnessed a devastating scene that brought her to tears.

“The front (part of the plane) was on fire. We rescued the survivors. Their bodies were covered in blood. They were crying. Everyone was asking for help,” Elmira, who only provided her first name, said.

Elmira said that there were people of all ages among the survivors, including men, women, teenagers and a small child.

“A little girl came out. She looked at me and said, ‘Save my mom, my mom is still there. She was crying and begging, ‘Please save her, save her,’” she said.

Elmira said that she had travelled by bus to the site of the crash and that she and other volunteers led survivors to the bus to “prevent people from freezing.”

“It was cold outside. None of them had jackets, just light sweaters. We kept them on the bus until the ambulance arrived,” she said.

Investigation opened

Russia’s aviation watchdog said in a statement that preliminary information suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike.

Officials did not immediately explain why the plane had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board, Kazakhstan’s transport ministry said in a preliminary report. It said 37 of the passengers were citizens of Azerbaijan, six of Kazakhstan, three of Kyrgyzstan, and 16 of Russia, according to preliminary data.

“Additional information regarding the incident will be provided to the public,” the airline said on its Facebook page.

Kazakhstan’s Transport Police Department also opened a pre-trial investigation under a part of the criminal code which involves the “violation of safety rules during the operation of a vehicle, resulting in the accidental death of two or more people,” state-run news agency Kazinform reported.

According to AZERTAC, the pilot had extensive experience and had flown more than 15,000 hours, and the plane underwent its last full technical inspection in October.

Bozumbayev said it was impossible to establish “even a preliminary cause” but that experts were looking into it, Kazinform reported.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines said it has suspended flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, the largest city of Dagestan, until the investigation into the crash is complete.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences for those involved in the crash, and said that a Russian Emergencies Ministry plane with medical personnel and equipment is flying to Kazakhstan to assist.

“Let’s hope for a speedy recovery of the injured ones and, of course, I am sure, a thorough investigation will be carried out. We will coordinate the work of our special and aviation services on all issues related to this tragedy,” he said during a summit for the Commonwealth of Independent States.

This story has been updated. CNN’s Svitlana Vlasova, Victoria Butenko, Lucas Lilieholm, Edward Szekeres contributed reporting.

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