Plane crash today: Video shows passengers getting out of the wreckage

What’s new

Footage has emerged showing survivors being pulled from the wreckage of a passenger plane crash in Kazakhstan.

The clip shared on social media shows the aftermath of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near the city of Aktau in the Central Asian country on Christmas morning.

What to know

The Embraer 190 aircraft, flight J2-8243, crashed while attempting an emergency landing about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau.

There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board, many of them Azerbaijani nationals.

Dozens are feared dead and around 32 people are believed to have survived.

Video shows people are pulled from the wreckage while others who appear to have minor injuries walk away. Emergency services, along with members of the public, are helping survivors, according to the footage.

The clip was shared on Telegram by Baza, a news outlet with sources in Russian law enforcement, The Guardian reported.

Black smoke is visible in the background, billowing from what appears to be another part of the wreckage.

Other unconfirmed footage shared on social media shows what appears to be the moment the plane crashed into a field and burst into flames near Aktau, a city on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea.

The passenger plane was on its way from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia. The cause of the crash is still unknown.

Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported that the plane was diverted from landing in Grozny due to fog.

Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office said at least 32 people survived, although the numbers are not final. Officials estimate more than 30 dead.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that 37 Azerbaijani nationals were on board, along with 16 Russians, six Kazakh nationals and three Kyrgyz nationals.

Azerbaijan Airlines put the names of those on the flight online and a hotline has been set up for family members of passengers.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev was on his way to St. Petersburg to attend a summit of members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) when news of the crash broke. His plane returned to Azerbaijan and he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin while in the air.

What people say

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev’s office said in a statement: “The heads of state expressed condolences to each other, to family members and relatives of those killed in the plane crash, among whom were citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.”

This was said by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, when he opened the meeting of the CIS member states: “A tragedy happened today in Aktau. A plane crashed, people died, there are many injured. On your behalf, I would like to express my condolences to the families of those killed and all the injured. Let’s hope they recover again.”

Kazakhstan’s Emergencies Ministry said in a statement: “A total of 52 rescuers from the Kazakh Ministry of Emergencies and 11 pieces of equipment arrived at the crash site. Upon arrival, they saw the plane in flames. Firefighters are now extinguishing it. Information about the injured is being clarified, but according to the preliminary data that are survivors.”

Azerbaijan Airlines said: “There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members. There were no children among the passengers and information about the injured will be provided soon. According to available information, survivors are receiving initial medical attention. Contacts are being established with the Kazakh authorities , and the necessary operational support is provided by Kazakhstan’s emergency response agencies on the ground.”

What happens next

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident.