At least 39 dead after Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan

An Embraer 190 passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 39 people and injuring 28, according to Kazakh authorities. The plane, which was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that fire services extinguished the blaze at the crash site, and the injured, including two children, were transported to a nearby hospital. The bodies of the deceased were being recovered.

Drone footage from the scene showed emergency vehicles surrounding the wreckage and what appeared to be the remains of victims.

Azerbaijan Airlines said flight J2-8243 was forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau, a city on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Preliminary information from Russia’s aviation watchdog indicated that a bird strike may have led the pilot to attempt the landing.

Kazakh authorities announced the formation of a government commission to investigate the crash, with members traveling to the site to ensure that the families of the victims receive necessary assistance. Kazakhstan’s government stated it would cooperate with Azerbaijan on the investigation.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who was in Russia for a summit on Wednesday, returned home after news of the crash, according to Russia’s RIA news agency.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. He noted that some of the injured were in critical condition and offered prayers for their recovery.

The crash is the latest in a series of aviation tragedies that have raised concerns about safety measures and emergency response protocols in the region.