A passenger airliner crashed in Kazakhstan, at least 30 people dead. An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing more than 30 passengers, according to reports. More casualties are expected. On Wednesday, December 25, the country’s Emergency Services Ministry claimed that the plane, which carried 67 passengers, caught fire shortly after takeoff. Efforts are continuing to recover the dead, and early indications indicate that some passengers survived.
A passenger airliner crashed: According to a news release from Russia’s aviation monitoring agency, preliminary evidence indicates that the pilot made an emergency landing following a collision with a flock of birds. Aktau is located on the other side of the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan and Russia. Kazakhstani authorities have announced the formation of a government panel to look into the incident.
Following the disaster, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, stated, “Unfortunately, Azerbaijani President Aliyev was obliged to depart St. Petersburg (where a summit was taking place). Putin has already called and conveyed his sympathies for the jet disaster.”
He continued: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those who have lost their loved ones and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to the survivors.”
Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader, also expressed condolences in a statement, saying, “The condition of those admitted to the hospital is extremely serious.” He, too, wished for the injured’s speedy recovery.
A passenger airliner crashed….
