An aircraft belonging to Azerbaijani airline AZAL, travelling from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau. It is currently known that 32 people survived the crash: 26 injured were taken to hospital, including two children. There were 67 passengers on board in total.
According to initial information, published by Lada.kz citing RSE "Kazaeronavigatsia", control of the aircraft was lost after a bird strike. According to their data, there were 105 passengers and 5 crew members on board.
"The Embraer 190 aircraft AHY8243, flying the Baku-Grozny route, declared an emergency due to a bird strike and loss of steering control, with a landing in Aktau. There were 105 passengers and 5 crew members on board the aircraft," the statement read.
Later, the Ministry of Transport clarified that there were 67 passengers on board, not 105 as "Kazaeronavigatsia" had claimed. The Telegram channel "Baza" published a list of passengers.
According to data from the Ministry of Transport, among the passengers were 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 from Russia, 6 from Kazakhstan and 3 from Kyrgyzstan.
Meanwhile, ORDA reports that, according to eyewitnesses, after a bird struck the engine, an oxygen cylinder exploded on board, causing passengers to lose consciousness.
52 rescuers and 11 units of equipment arrived at the crash site.
At a briefing, AZAL reported that the number of survivors had increased to 32 passengers. The Mangistau Regional Hospital received 26 injured, including two children. According to information from the Telegram channel "ZTB|QAZAQSTAN", 11 of the injured are in a serious condition, and the two children are being prepared for surgery.
The Aktau Blood Centre has appealed to residents to donate blood for the injured.