Almost half the people aboard an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 survived when the plane crashed on what appears to be the infield or an area outside of an airport in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Christmas Day.
The aircraft departed from Baku and was initially en route to Grozny in Russia but diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Remarkable cellphone footage of the entire sequence on The Print shows the plane in a climb before it drops in a rapid but controlled descent before crash landing on a turf area. Twenty-nine of the 67 on board survived.
At a news conference, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that it was premature to speculate on the cause of the crash but noted that adverse weather conditions had prompted a change in the plane’s planned route, according to the Associated Press. The news outlet also reported that Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that the pilots diverted to Aktau following a bird strike that caused an onboard emergency. Meanwhile, other online reports have stated the aircraft was shot down while over Russian airspace.
Transportation officials said passengers on board included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals.
