39 dead in Kazakhstan plane crash after bird collision
A passenger plane carrying 67 people crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning after colliding with birds during its flight from Azerbaijan to Russia, officials reported.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near Aktau in southwestern Kazakhstan. Of the 67 people onboard, 28 survived, with 22 individuals, including two children, hospitalized, according to Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry.
The passengers included 37 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakh citizens, and 3 Kyrgyz citizens, as reported by the Kazakh Ministry of Transport and shared by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Initially en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region, the flight was diverted to Makhachkala due to heavy fog, the Grozny airport press service told TASS.
The Embraer 190 aircraft made an emergency landing near Aktau, approximately 1.8 miles from the city, following a bird collision, as confirmed by Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority.
Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry reported that a fire at the crash site was extinguished, with 150 personnel and 45 units of equipment engaged in the response. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and Azerbaijan Airlines promised further updates.
This tragic event highlights the risks faced by modern aviation, particularly in emergencies like bird strikes. Enhanced preventive measures could mitigate such occurrences.
Efforts should focus on providing aid to survivors and families of the deceased while the aviation industry continues to review safety protocols to prevent similar tragedies.
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