Azerbaijan Airlines plane ‘shot down by Russian air defense,’ shocking footage reveals
Children are among the 32 people who have so far been rescued alive from the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed on Christmas Day.
The Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft that crashed on Christmas Day in Kazakhstan, likely killing dozens, may have been shot down by Russian air defences, it has been claimed.
Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights, and the Azerbaijani government has announced it will launch an investigation after a plane carrying 67 people, including 62 passengers and five cabin crew members, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day.
Miraculously, more than 30 people survived, and Russia’s Air Transport Agency was quick to announce the Embraer 190 plane made an emergency landing after striking a flock of birds.
But unconfirmed reports suggest the aircraft may have been mistakenly struck by a Russian anti-aircraft system.
Footage and pictures emerging hours after the crash purportedly show holes in the fuselage, seemingly consistent with ammunition.
Amid the emergence of these pictures, Andriy Kovalenko, Head of the Ukrainian Central Directorate of the National Security and Defense Council, took to Telegram to claim: "This morning, an Embraer 190 of an Azerbaijani airline, flying from Baku to Grozny, was shot down by a Russian air defence system. Russia was supposed to close the airspace over Grozny, but did not do so. The plane was damaged by the Russians and sent to Kazakhstan, instead of making an emergency landing in Grozny and saving people’s lives."
The crash came shortly after drone strikes reportedly hit southern Russia areas, as the war between Kyiv and Moscow continues to rage.
Wall Street Journal reporter Yaroslav Trofimov said speculation by Russian media included that Russian air defences mistook the passenger jet for a Ukrainian drone.
Another horrifying video believed to have been captured at the moment of the crash shows the passenger plane plummeting towards the ground and erupting into a fireball.
The plane, scheduled to travel from Baku, in Azerbaijan, to Grozny, in Russia, was reportedly re-routed due to fog and travelled miles off its scheduled route before it crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the plane had been forced to make an emergency landing at the airport in Aktau, but it is not yet clear why.
A statement issued by the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan read: "On 25 December, the Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines, with operating flight number J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, was directed to Aktau due to an emergency landing requirement and crashed near the city. The causes of the accident are being investigated."
Dozens are feared dead following the crash, with four bodies having already been recovered. Russian news agency Interfax quoted emergency workers at the scene as saying that both pilots, according to a preliminary assessment, died in the crash.
At least 32 people, including three children, survived the horrifying incident, with those in need of medical assistance being treated at a nearby hospital. The Azerbaijani ministry said some of the survivors are "in critical condition".
In light of the crash, more than 50 rescuers rushed to the scene to help survivors and extinguish the fire.
A spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that preliminary reports show that the pilot had chosen to divert the plane to Aktau after a bird strike on the aircraft led to “an emergency situation on board”.
AP reports that flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24.com showed the aircraft making what appeared to be a figure-right once the craft was near the airport in Kazakhstan. This would cause the altitude to move up and down substantially over the last minutes of the flight before impacting the ground.
Speaking about the nationalities of those aboard the passenger plane, the carrier said 37 passengers were Azerbaijani citizens. There were also 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani and three Kyrgyzstani citizens aboard, it added.
Announcing a probe into the cause of the crash, the ministry added: "Following the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, a state commission chaired by Prime Minister Ali Asadov has been established to investigate the causes of the plane crash.
"Moreover, per the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a delegation led by the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as the Minister of Digital Development and Transport, departed for Kazakhstan in connection with the tragic accident.
"The Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Aktau has been operating at the scene since the first moment of the accident. Emergency rescue agencies are taking urgent operational measures in coordination with the Kazakhstani side."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in contact with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to express his condolences, the Kremlin said.
Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Chechnya and close ally of Putin, also shared his condolences.
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