At the crash site of the Embraer 190, it was already possible to find a black box that recorded the crew’s communications.
38 people died when an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. 29 people were hospitalized, including three children. At a meeting with representatives of the Azerbaijani delegation, which took place in Aktau, this was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and the head of the commission investigating the causes of the accident, Kanat Bozumbayev. TASR informs about it on the basis of AP and Interfax reports.
They diverted the flight
The Embraer 190 aircraft of the AZAL company was heading from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny. According to the airlines, five crew members were included. Of these, there were 42 citizens of Azerbaijan (including the crew), 16 citizens of Russia, six citizens of Kazakhstan and three citizens of Kyrgyzstan.
Due to fog in Grozny, the plane was diverted to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, but according to AZAL, it crashed while attempting an emergency landing three kilometers from Aktau.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. Russia’s Federal Aviation Administration (Rosaviacija) says the plane collided with birds in mid-air.
Mobile video
A video shot by a mobile phone was published on social networks, showing the plane descending sharply and exploding after hitting the ground. Other footage shows a section of the fuselage with wings torn off and the rest of the plane flipped onto its roof. The registration number of the machine can also be seen in the images.
In the meantime, a black box that recorded the crew’s communications was found at the scene of the accident.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was originally supposed to attend the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Russia on Wednesday. However, he returned to his homeland after the accident. He also signed a decree declaring December 26 as a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.
Suspended flights
Azerbaijan Airlines said it had suspended flights between Baku and Grozny, as well as between Baku and the city of Makhachkala, pending an investigation into the crash.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a plane with equipment and medical personnel to Kazakhstan.
