Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Transport reveals details of Aktau plane crash chronology

Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Transport, Talgat Lastayev, provided a detailed account of the plane crash in Aktau.

He explained that the aircraft had requested permission to enter Kazakhstan's airspace and did so at 11:00 AM, Caliber.Az reports citing Kazakh media.

According to Lastayev, communication with the plane was lost at 11:28 AM. After entering the airspace, the plane made two turns near the airport before it crashed during its third turn.

The crash occurred in a designated safe zone, Lastayev assured. He also emphasized that it is still too early to determine the cause of the accident, as further expertise is required. Lastayev noted that the crash posed no threat to nearby residential buildings.

It was confirmed by investigative authorities that the crew had instructed passengers to fasten their seatbelts before the crash.

The tragic incident took place on December 25, when an Embraer 190 aircraft, operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed in Aktau while attempting an emergency landing.

At the time of the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was en route to an informal summit of CIS heads of state in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Upon learning of the crash while still in Russian airspace, President Aliyev ordered his return to Baku to oversee the response efforts.

The flight was carrying 67 people in total: 62 passengers and 5 crew members. Among the passengers were 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyzstani nationals.

Sadly, 38 people lost their lives in the crash, while 29 survived.

The international community has expressed condolences to Azerbaijan, with leaders and organizations worldwide offering messages of sympathy and solidarity to the victims' families.

On December 26, Azerbaijan declared a day of mourning to honor the victims.

By Tamilla Hasanova