A tragic aviation incident unfolded on Christmas Day when a passenger plane, en route from Azerbaijan to southern Russia, crashed near Aktau, a city in Kazakhstan.
The aircraft, carrying 67 people—62 passengers and five crew members—plummeted to the ground just a few kilometers outside the city, sparking a devastating fire.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan confirmed the crash and dispatched rescue teams to the site.
Upon arrival, they found the wreckage ablaze and immediately began efforts to extinguish the flames.
Preliminary reports suggest there may be survivors, though the full details regarding casualties remain under investigation.
The plane, flight J2-8243, was an Embraer 190 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines. It was traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region.
The aircraft made an emergency landing about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau, but unfortunately, the crash occurred before a successful landing could be completed.
Azerbaijan Airlines promised to provide further updates as more information becomes available.