THIS is the terrifying moment a passenger plane fell from the sky, erupting into a ball of fire in a devastating Christmas crash that left dozens feared dead.
Heart-stopping footage shows the Embraer plane nosediving before smashing into the ground near Aktau in western Kazakhstan.
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The plane can be seen nose diving before crashing Credit: East2west News
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The moment the spacecraft hit the ground before bursting into flames Credit: East2west News
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Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190AR crashes during emergency landing in Aktau, KazakhstanCredit: X / @BNODesk
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Dozens are feared dead as the plane tried to land in Aktau in western KazakhstanCredit: Reuters
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There were 62 passengers and five crew members on the plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines.
Among them were at least 60 Russian nationals who were going to Grozny, the capital of the Russian region of Chechnya—an area controlled by Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov.
During its fiery descent, it broke into several pieces after a forced landing.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, battling high flames and thick columns of black smoke rising ominously into the sky.
Authorities said 28 people were miraculously pulled alive from the wreckage, but seven were said to be in critical condition.
The Ministry of Emergencies of the Central Asian country announced in a statement that the fire services extinguished the fire and that the survivors are being assisted at a nearby hospital.
The two hospitalized survivors are children, believed to be girls aged 11 and 16.
“They receive all the necessary medical care in hospitals in the region,” said the Ministry of Health.
23 ambulance teams were mobilized to the scene of the incident.
There were two children of 11, one of 16 and one of 17 years old on the plane.
In a moment, the plane was filled with smoke and forced to land with 13 injured
Russian news agency Interfax reported that the ministry raised the possibility of additional survivors.
Medical workers at the scene confirmed that four bodies have been recovered so far, according to the agency.
Bloody and battered passengers could be seen staggering against a piece of the hull that remained intact.
According to the survivors, the bird entered the plane’s engine, “after which the oxygen tank in the plane exploded.”
“People on board began to lose consciousness,” the report said.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24.com revealed that the aircraft made what appeared to be a figure-eight maneuver as it approached Aktau Airport.
Its height varied significantly during the last moments of the flight before the crash.
In a separate online post, FlightRadar24 reported that the plane experienced severe GPS jamming, causing it to send erroneous ADS-B data – information used by flight tracking websites to track aircraft in real time.
Russia has previously been accused of jamming GPS signals in the region, raising questions about its potential involvement.
Officials revealed that the flight, en route from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny, Russia, sent a distress call just 2,125 feet above the Caspian Sea.
Earlier reports suggested the plane collided with a flock of birds, causing a control failure.
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Passengers could be seen staggering against a piece of fuselage that survived the fatal landingCredit: East2West
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Terrified passenger rescued from crashed planeCredit: East2West
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Some of the survivors could be seen bloodied or bruised Credit: East2West
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A drone view shows the crash site of the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, KazakhstanCredit: Reuters
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The wreckage of the Embraer 190 at the Azerbaijan airport lies on the ground, with several emergency workers and vehicles nearbyCredit: AP
The last, desperate attempt of the cockpit to land in Aktau was filmed in terrifying detail.
The plane is seen descending too steeply, its nose pointed sharply downward, moments before the crash shattered the holiday morning.
Witnesses described a deafening explosion as the plane disintegrated and caught fire on impact.
Images of the burning wreckage, with emergency services struggling to control the inferno, show the sheer scale of the disaster as charred parts of the plane lie strewn across the crash site.
Kazaeronavigatsiya, Kazakhstan’s air navigation authority, confirmed the declaration of emergency, saying: “Aircraft Embraer 190 AHY8243 flying on the Baku-Grozni route declared an emergency due to a bird strike and violation of control controls.”
Russian news agencies reported that the plane was diverted due to fog in Grozny.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said they had begun investigating various possible versions of what happened, including a technical problem, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
Russia’s aviation watchdog said in a statement that preliminary information suggests the pilot decided to make an emergency landing after striking the bird.
After the accident, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, was returning home from Russia where he was supposed to attend a summit on Wednesday, the Russian news agency RIA reported.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed Chechen leader, expressed his condolences in a statement and said that those being treated at the hospital were in extremely serious condition and that he and the others would pray for their speedy recovery.
Residents of Aktau were asked to donate blood for the survivors.
Kazakhstan has appointed a commission to investigate the plane crash.
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The plane was engulfed in a ball of fire as it crashed on Christmas DayCredit: East2West
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Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen rising into the sky after the horrific crashCredit: East2West
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Emergency services try to extinguish the fireCredit: East2West
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education