Crew members and survivors of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day said they heard at least one loud thump before the plane crashed in a ball of fire, raising speculation that a Russian anti-aircraft missile may have been responsible for the tragedy. .
This comes at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized on Saturday to his Azerbaijani counterpart for the “tragic accident,” although he did not acknowledge responsibility for the disaster.
The Embraer 190 passenger plane, which was en route from Azerbaijan to Russia, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after being diverted from the area. Southern Russia Moscow has repeatedly used air defense systems against Ukrainian attack drones. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.
Sobhonkul Rakhimov, a passenger on flight J2-8243, told Reuters from the hospital that he began saying prayers and preparing for the end after hearing a bang.
Evidence collection efforts are underway at the site of the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 27, 2024. (Miramgül Kusinova/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Azerbaijan Airlines blames fatal plane crash on 'foreign interference' as Russian speculation grows
“After the explosion… I thought the plane was going to collapse,” Rahimov told the outlet. “It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way. It was like it had been drunk, and it wasn't the same plane anymore.”
Surviving passenger Vava Shabanova said, “Two explosions occurred in the sky, and after an hour and a half, the plane crashed on the ground.”
Another survivor, Jirova Salihat, told Azerbaijani TV in an interview at the hospital that “something exploded” near her leg, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, flight attendant Aidan Rahimli said that after one noise, the oxygen masks were automatically released. She said that she went to provide first aid to her colleague Zulfikar Asadov, and then they heard the sound of another explosion.
Asadov said the sounds sounded like they were hitting the plane from outside. He added that shortly after that, he suffered a sudden injury that looked like “a deep wound. My arm was torn as if someone had hit me with an ax on my arm.” He denied claims by Kazakh officials that an oxygen canister exploded inside the plane.
Landing in Grozny was prevented by fog, so the pilot took off, at which point there were sounds of explosions outside the plane, Asadov said. The two pilots of the plane were killed in the accident.
“The pilot just uploaded the plane When I heard a noise from the left wing. “There were three explosions,” he told Reuters.
Flight J2-8243 flew hundreds of miles off its scheduled course and crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea.
A video clip of the crash showed the plane landing quickly before it caught fire when it hit the seashore, and then thick black smoke billowed out, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers were seen stumbling from a piece of the plane's fuselage that remained intact. Holes can be seen in the tail section of the plane.
It is feared that more than 30 people have been killed following the accident that occurred near the Kazakh city of Aktau. (Azamat Sarsenbayev)
On Saturday, Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call “for the tragic incident occurring in Russian airspace,” according to the Kremlin’s statement of the call.
“(President) Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian drones, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,” the Kremlin said. The Kremlin said the call took place at Putin's request.
John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, told reporters on Friday that the United States had seen some early indications that “would certainly indicate the possibility that this plane was shot down by Russian air defense systems.” He declined to go into details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Azerbaijani Minister Rashad Nabiyev also indicated that the plane was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor accounts.
Preliminary results of Azerbaijan's investigation into the fatal accident indicate that the plane was hit by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, or fragments of such a missile, individuals familiar with the investigation indicated, according to Russia Today. The Wall Street Journal.
A source familiar with the Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters that preliminary findings indicate the plane was hit by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system — electronic warfare systems paralyzing communications as the plane approached Grozny, the source said, according to the outlet.
The source indicated, according to Reuters, that “no one claims that this was done intentionally. But taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to admit to shooting down the Azerbaijani plane.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on allegations that the plane was hit by Russian air defenses, saying it was up to investigators to determine the cause of the crash.
The Russian aviation regulator said on Friday that the plane decided to change course from its original destination in Chechnya amid heavy fog and a local warning about… Ukrainian drones. The agency said that the captain was offered other airports to land at, but he chose Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan.
Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov places a bouquet of flowers at the Azerbaijan Consulate in memory of the victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 that crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on December 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
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Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines It suspended its flights to eight additional Russian airports after the tragedy.
The airline noted in a post on the X website that as of December 28, flights from Baku to eight Russian airports were suspended. This announcement comes in addition to the prior suspension of flights between Baku and two other Russian airports.
Fox News' Alex Nitzberg, Pilar Arias, Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press as well as Reuters contributed to this report.
