A passenger onboard the Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, has shared harrowing footage from before and after the ill-fated flight, which claimed the lives of 38 people.
The video was shot inside the cabin of the aircraft and showed distressing visuals from before the crash. In the video, the man can be heard praying to God saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ as the plane heads towards a steep descent. Yellow oxygen masks can be seen dangling over the seats as panicked passengers shout and pray for their lives. A faint sound of ‘wear seatbelt’ light is also heard in the background as chaos unfolds. ABP News could not verify the authenticity of the videos.
The final moments of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane before its crash in Kazakhstan were captured by a passenger onboard.
Aftermath also included in the footage. pic.twitter.com/nCRozjdoUY
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 25, 2024
In the video after the crash, the same man can be seen recording the crashed plane as forces carry out the rescue operations. Smoke can also be seen in the visuals.
Man who sent video to his wife before plane crashed survives pic.twitter.com/Hdsr9HU1YX
— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) December 26, 2024
The Embraer 190 aircraft was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku and was supposed to land in Grozny, a city in Chechnya in southern Russia. However, it crashed near Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
Another footage shared by Russia’s RT shows the visuals of the plane from inside after it crashed with the ceiling panel and air blower destroyed after the impact. A few injured passengers can be seen lying on the plane’s floor, calling for help. One of them was also bleeding from the head. The survivor who shot the video also showed a damaged yellow life jacket.
A surviving passenger from the Aktau plane crash manages to capture footage of inside the cabin pic.twitter.com/shIblEmV1d
— RT (@RT_com) December 25, 2024
It is being said that the incident took place after the flight was rerouted due to fog in the region. Due to this, the plane had to fly across the Caspian sea instead of flying northwest from Baku to Grozny. Meanwhile, preliminary information showed the plane was diverted after a bird strike. However, Reuters citing an aviation expert said this cause seemed unlikely.
The plane was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. It was forced to make an emergency landing. 29 passengers managed to survive the crash. The death toll of 38 was confirmed by Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev during a meeting with an Azerbaijani delegation in Aktau, a Russian news agency Interfax reported.
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