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Azerbaijani Airlines plane en route to Russia crashes in western Kazakhstan

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Azerbaijani Airlines plane en route to Russia crashes in western Kazakhstan
A view of the crash site where an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board, traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024. (Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A plane carrying 67 people from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Dec. 25, Tengrinews media outlet reported.

According to Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry, the plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines had 37 Azerbaijani passengers, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz, along with five crew members on board.

At least 28 people are believed to have survived, the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry said. The number of casualties has not been reported.

Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya) reported that, according to preliminary data, the plane collided with a flock of birds and the pilot decided to land at the Aktau airfield, after which the aircraft "hit the ground."

Search and rescue operations at the site are ongoing.

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Kateryna Denisova

Politics Reporter

Kateryna Denisova is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in Ukrainian politics. Based in Kyiv, she focuses on domestic affairs, parliament, social and war-related issues. Kateryna began her career in journalism in 2020 and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She also studied at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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