Azerbaijan Airlines E190 crashes in Kazakhstan

An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 flying from Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, December 25. The aircraft had 67 People on board, including 5 crew members.

Azerbaijan Airlines confirmed in a statement that the flight carried 62 Passengers and 5 crew members. The passengers included 37 Azerbaijani Citizens, 16 Russian Citizens, 6 Kazakhstan Citizens, and 3 Kyrgyzstan Citizens. Survivors are receiving medical treatment from local emergency services.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a separate press release that the flight was “directed to Aktau due to an emergency landing requirement and crashed near the city.” The ministry added that the cause of the accident is under investigation by a government commission, with preliminary reports identifying 32 survivors.

The ill-fated flight, J2-8244, was operated by an 11-year-old Embraer E190 (registration 4K-AZ65) and was scheduled to land at Grozny airport at 11:55 a.m. local time. Unverified video footage showed the aircraft banking to the right before impacting the ground, with a large plume of black smoke rising from the impact site. Multiple reports indicated that the flight was rerouted due to fog in Grozny.

A screenshot from popular flight tracking app FlightRadar24 showed the Aircraft squawking 7700, a code used to indicate emergency onboard, as it approached Aktau Airport for an emergency landing.

A hotline has been established for the family members of passengers on J2-8244.