A devastating crash involving an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 claimed 38 lives on Wednesday near Aktau, Kazakhstan, leaving a trail of grief and unanswered questions. The flight, originally scheduled to travel from Baku to Grozny in southern Russia, veered off course across the Caspian Sea before going down near the oil-rich hub of Aktau.
Flight tracking data revealed an unusual trajectory, with the aircraft circling over the crash site before its tragic descent. The Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister, Kanat Bozumbayev, confirmed the grim toll, stating, “The situation is not very good, 38 dead.”
The doomed plane carried 67 individuals, including 62 passengers and five crew members. Among the survivors, 28 were hospitalized, including two children, according to Kazakh emergency authorities. The passengers comprised nationals from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared a national day of mourning, canceling his attendance at a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Russia. Aliyev pledged swift action to uncover the cause of the crash, dispatching a team led by Azerbaijan’s deputy prosecutor general to Kazakhstan.
“I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Aliyev wrote on social media, a sentiment echoed by Azerbaijan’s First Lady, Mehriban Aliyeva, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed his sympathies in a phone call with Aliyev.
Kazakh authorities launched a full-scale investigation, with emergency crews extinguishing a fire at the crash site and mobilizing over 150 workers. Specialist doctors were flown in from Astana to aid the injured, while Russian emergency teams provided additional support.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also expressed condolences, mourning the loss of life in a disaster that has left the region reeling. As investigators sift through the wreckage, the tragedy underscores the fragile nature of human life and the enduring need for answers in the face of calamity.
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