Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on Dec. 25, 2024.Photo:ISSA TAZHENBAYEV/AFP via Getty
ISSA TAZHENBAYEV/AFP via Getty
The head of Azerbaijan Airlines is praising the actions of two pilotswho were among 38 killed on a doomed flightthat crashed as it made an emergency landing in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Dec. 25.
Despite the death toll, dozens of other passengers survived the crash, whose cause remains under investigation.
Speaking to journalists in the aftermath of the Christmas Day incident, Azerbaijan Airlines' president, Samir Rzayev, credited the pilots’ actions for saving 29 others aboard the plane.
“Unfortunately, two of our experienced pilots and one guide lost their lives in the accident,” Rzayev said, according to the Azerbaijani news agencyReportandBusiness Insider. “Their heroism will never be forgotten.”
“While this tragic accident brought a significant loss to our nation,” Rzayev continued, “the crew’s valiant dedication to their duties until the last moment and their prioritization of human life have immortalized their names in history.”
Azerbaijan Airlineshas said thatone of their Embraer 190 aircraft, flying on the Baku-Grozny route, made an emergency landing approximately 2 miles from the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
At the time of the flight, the plane carried 67 people — including 62 passengers and five crew members.
The airline also said the survivors were receiving medical assistance.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev separately commented on the tragedy,saying: “I pray for Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives in the plane crash. I extend my condolences and pray for patience for their families and loved ones.”
“This is a great tragedy, a significant loss for the people of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said.
He said a commission has been created to investigate the crash.
Based on the information provided to him, Aliyev said that the plane “changed its course due to worsening weather conditions and began heading toward Aktau airport, where the crash occurred during landing.”
A view of the scene after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the Kazakh Caspian city of Aktau on Dec. 25, 2024.Issa Tazhenbayev/Anadolu via Getty
Issa Tazhenbayev/Anadolu via Getty
In apost on X, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote of suspicions that Russia had a role in the incident.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters that as the crash is being investigated, “it would be incorrect to make any hypotheses before the investigation comes to conclusions,”NBC Newsreported.
“We definitely cannot do it and no one should do it,” Peskov said.
PEOPLE contacted Russia’s presidential press office and Azerbaijan Airlines on Thursday, Dec. 26, for additional comment.
Aliyev, in his remarks, also cautioned against premature speculation about the cause of the plane’s crash.
“There are videos of the plane crash available in the media and on social networks, and everyone can watch them. However, the reasons for the crash are not yet known to us,” he said. “There are various theories, but I believe it is premature to discuss them. The matter must be thoroughly investigated.”
Rzayev, the Azerbaijan Airlines president, has said that the plane’s black box has been recovered.
He said that the plane underwent an overhaul in October, passed a technical inspection and the pilots had logged more than 15,000 flight hours, according to Report.
“The survivors will be brought back to the country,” Rzayev told reporters, adding, “The bodies of those who lost their lives will be returned within two days. May God have mercy on those who died, and we wish a speedy recovery to the survivors.”
source: people.com
