ASTANA, Kazakhstan – Tragic plane crash near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday claimed the lives of at least 38 passengers aboard an Azerbaijani airliner, according to Kazakh authorities.
The collision left 29 survivors, including two children, with 11 in critical condition, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev confirmed.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, traveling from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region, made an emergency landing roughly 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau.
Rescue teams worked tirelessly to pull survivors from the charred wreckage, with all injured individuals transported to nearby hospitals. Authorities confirmed that none of the survivors were Kazakh nationals.
Deputy Prime Minister Bozumbayev revealed that one survivor, an unconscious woman without identification, remains unidentified and hospitalized.
“The bodies are in poor condition, mostly burnt, all collected,” he added, noting that identification of the deceased is underway.
A search team recovered the plane’s black box, and the Kazakhstan government has launched an investigation, pledging to collaborate with Azerbaijan to uncover the cause of the crash and support affected families.
Footage from the scene showed the aircraft ablaze, with dazed and bloodied passengers emerging from the wreckage.
Eyewitness Elmira, a volunteer rescuer, described the harrowing scene. “The front of the plane was on fire. Survivors were crying, covered in blood, asking for help,” she told Radio Free Europe.
Among the survivors was a small girl who begged rescuers to save her mother.
Elmira and other volunteers provided shelter to survivors in a nearby bus to protect them from the cold while awaiting medical assistance. “None of them had jackets, just light sweaters,” she said.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that rescue units extinguished the fire upon arrival.
Meanwhile, video of the crash revealed the plane circling erratically before crashing and erupting into flames.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the accident as families of the victims await answers.