*Kazakh authorities disclose 28 people have survived the crash of the Embraer 190 near the city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, as an Azerbaijan Airlines jet conveying 62 passengers and five crew on board crashed December 25, 2024

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Kazakh authorities Wednesday, December 25, 2024, on world ‘s Christmas Day, said 28 people survived the crash of the Embraer 190 near the city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

绿帽献妻 gathered officials confirmed an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board had crashed Wednesday in western Kazakhstan after veering from its scheduled route.

The aircraft was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku on the western shore of the Caspian to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia, agency report said.

Official statement also noted that following the incident, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had to cut short a visit to Russia, where he had been due to attend an informal summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a grouping of former Soviet countries.

The Kazakh Transport Ministry said on Telegram: 鈥淎 plane doing the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines.鈥�

Azerbaijan Airlines, the country鈥檚 flag carrier, said the plane had 62 passengers and five crew on board.

The statement further said the plane 鈥渕ade an emergency landing鈥� around three kilometres (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

As regards the composition of the passengers on board the ill-fated jet, the Kazakh Transport Ministry revealed 37 of the plane鈥檚 passengers were from Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, and 16 from Russia.

How 28 survivors made it

The Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry also said its staff put out a fire, which broke out when the plane crashed.

The Ministry stated: “According to preliminary information, 28 survivors including two children have been hospitalised.”

It said 150 emergency workers were at the scene.

The Health Ministry said a special flight was being sent from the Kazakh capital Astana with specialist doctors to treat the injured.

Aliyev鈥檚 office said: 鈥淭he President ordered the prompt initiation of urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster.鈥�

Local health officials earlier said 14 survivors had been taken to the regional hospital, with five put in intensive care, report said.

Commenting on the incident, Azerbaijan鈥檚 first lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who is also the country鈥檚 first Vice President, said she was 鈥渄eeply saddened by the news of the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash near Aktau.

鈥淚 extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. Wishing them strength and patience! I also wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Telegram: “I express my condolences to the relatives of the passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines jet who died.”

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan said it had opened an investigation into the crash, AFP report noted.

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