Surviving passenger of crashed AZAL plane reveals tragedy's details hidden by Russia
A surviving passenger of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane that crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024, has shared harrowing details about the disaster, which were concealed by Russian authorities.
Nurullah Sirajov recounted the moments of the crash, saying, "They always say, 'Whom God protects, even fire will not burn.' This time, I saw with my own eyes how God protected us," Caliber.Az reports via local media.
Sirajov, who was traveling with his wife to visit their son in Grozny, described the initial moments of the flight’s distress. "When the plane was first hit, I felt flames under my feet and thought I was injured. I tried to calm my wife, but my anxiety didn't subside. I unbuckled my seatbelt, looked under my feet—everything was fine."
Despite the chaos, Sirajov remained calm. "Just as I reclined back into my seat, there was an even stronger blow to the rear of the plane. The flight attendants tried to calm the passengers and announced that we were landing in Grozny. The plane was descending... I saw we were approaching, and through the window, I could see the airport building, the runway, and the planes. Imagine looking down from a 10-story building. We were so close to the ground and were sure we would land there."
However, the situation suddenly changed. "At that moment, the plane unexpectedly gained speed and took off again."
As the tension rose, Sirajov recalled the flight attendant's instructions: "The flight attendant instructed everyone to put everything soft away, press our foreheads to the seat, and close our eyes. I had a thick jacket, so I folded it and handed it to my wife, telling her not to move until the end, as instructed. It didn’t even occur to me to be afraid; I was only thinking about my wife."
Sirajov then described the shocking moment when the plane crashed. "And then I felt the plane crash to the ground with a terrible impact and sound. I thought the plane must have broken into pieces."
On December 25, 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, an Embraer 190AR aircraft, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, during an emergency landing attempt. The flight was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia. Of the 67 individuals on board—62 passengers and 5 crew members—38 perished, and 29 survived. Of the five crew members, two lost their lives while three survived.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft was struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile during efforts to repel a Ukrainian drone attack over Chechnya.
By Khagan Isayev