In brief
A passenger jet en route from Baku to Grozny faced an emergency landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, with rescue operations underway.
In a somber event on December 25, 2024, a passenger aircraft carrying 62 passengers and five crew members crashed close to the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. Official reports indicate that at least six individuals managed to survive the harrowing incident, according to Russian news agencies.The Embraer-190 plane, operated by Azerbaijan's Azal airlines, was making its way from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, towards Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechnya Republic. Due to severe fog conditions in Grozny, the plane was redirected to land in Kazakhstan, where it ultimately made an emergency landing 1.8 miles from Aktau.Kazakhstan's healthcare minister reported that 25 people from the flight were hospitalized with various injuries, five of whom remain in critical condition. Emergency services, including firefighters, were swiftly dispatched to the crash site, and the Kazakhstan emergency situations ministry has commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.The ongoing investigation aims to determine the precise cause of the incident to ensure accountability and prevent future occurrences. Further updates are expected as rescue operations continue and authorities gather more information. Ivan Nechepurenko is a journalist specializing in coverage of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Central Asia, based in Moscow.
