By: Goke Williams
A tragic incident unfolded in Kazakhstan as a fiery plane crash claimed the lives of no fewer than 38 persons. The ill-fated aircraft, carrying a total of 67 people comprising 62 passengers and 5 crew members, met its devastating fate near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Christmas Day.
The ill-fated Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya when it was forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau.
On arriving the gory site, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations discovered the aircraft engulfed in flames, prompting swift action from rescue units to put out the fire.
A witness named Elmira, who courageously assisted in the rescue efforts, recounted the sad scene that unfolded before her eyes. The woman said that she witnessed a devastating scene that brought her to tears: "The front (part of the plane) was on fire. We rescued the survivors. Their bodies were covered in blood. They were crying. Everyone was asking for help." Elmira said that there were people of all ages among the survivors, including men, women, teenagers and a small child. "A little girl came out. She looked at me and said, 'Save my mom, my mom is still there. She was crying and begging, 'Please save her, save her,'" she said.
Elmira said that she had travelled by bus to the scene of the crash and that she and other volunteers led survivors to the bus to "prevent people from freezing." "It was cold outside. None of them had jackets, just light sweaters. We kept them on the bus until the ambulance arrived," she remarked empathetically.
A mother who was travelling to spend the Christmas holidays with her children in Chechnya, of which Grozny is the capital, perished in the calamity. Sadly, another mother, travelling with medical tests for her sick child, is still missing. What a somber moment for what was meant to be a joyous Christmas celebration!
Russia’s aviation watchdog released a statement indicating that preliminary findings suggested the pilot opted for an emergency landing following a bird strike. The information added that among the passengers, 37 were Azerbaijani citizens, 6 hailed from Kazakhstan, 3 from Kyrgyzstan, and 16 from Russia.
"Additional information regarding the incident will be provided to the public," the airline posted on its Facebook page. Meanwhile, the government of Kazakhstan has set up a commission to investigate the root cause of the ugly incident. "The Commission was instructed to immediately fly to the scene of the accident, ensure a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the crash, and take measures to provide priority assistance to the families of the dead and injured," a government statement said.
In response to the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines announced the suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, pending the conclusion of the crash investigation.
The plane was en route to Grozny in Russia but it was diverted due to fog, as confirmed by Gok Communications. Both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched comprehensive investigations into the plane crash.
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