Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau city in Kazakhstan.
The aircraft, which was first diverted to Makhachkala from Grozny due to weather conditions and then to Aktau, failed to land there and crashed.
Among the 67 people on board, 42 were citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 of Russia, 6 of Kazakhstan, and 3 of Kyrgyzstan.
The survivors were mainly seated in the rear section of the aircraft.
According to the Health Department of Kazakhstan's Mangistau region, four bodies were found at the crash site. The task force reported that both pilots died.
In connection with the incident, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev cancelled his trip to Russia, where he was supposed to attend an informal CIS Summit of heads of state in St. Petersburg, and returned to Baku. Upon arrival in Baku, the President held a meeting at the airport regarding the incident.
By presidential order, a state commission was established to investigate the causes of the plane crash. The commission is headed by Prime Minister Ali Asadov. An Azerbaijani delegation, including the minister of digital development and transport, minister of emergencies, deputy prosecutor general, and other officials, departed for Aktau to investigate the causes of the plane crash on site.
The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office has launched a criminal case regarding the emergency landing of an Embraer 190 aircraft, operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny and belonging to AZAL, which occurred three kilometers from the city of Aktau