Bird Strike Behind Azerbaijan Airlines Flight Crash? Here's What Russian Officials Say

Last Updated:December 25, 2024, 21:26 IST

Several theories are swirling around what may have caused the crash, with Russian authorities saying a bird strike may have been the cause.

A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

An oxygen tank exploded inside the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet which crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan with 67 people on board, Kazakh media outlets reported. They also said that flyers also started to fall unconscious before the flight crashed.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea, after what Russia’s aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike, according to a report by Reuters.

Kazakh authorities said 32 people had survived the crash of the Embraer 190, which veered from its scheduled route, near the city of Aktau.

With Azerbaijan Airlines reported that 67 people were on board — 62 passengers and five crew members — it is feared that 38 may have perished in the crash, as per a report by Kazakh media citing the nation’s deputy prime minister.

“A plane doing the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines," the Kazakh transport ministry said on Telegram.

The plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku on the western shore of the Caspian to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cut short a visit to Russia where he had been due to attend an informal summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a grouping of former Soviet nations, his office said in a statement. He also declared Thursday a day of national mourning.

“A plane doing the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines," the Kazakh transport ministry said on Telegram.

Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said the plane had 62 passengers and five crew on board.

It said the plane “made an emergency landing" around three kilometres (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

The plane’s course on Flight Radar showed it crossing the Caspian Sea away from its normal route and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed.

Kazakhstan said it had opened an investigation.

Astana, Kazakhstan

News world Bird Strike Behind Azerbaijan Airlines Flight Crash? Here's What Russian Officials Say