Surviving passenger restored the chronology of the plane crash in Aktau

Subkhonkul Rakhimov, a surviving passenger of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane that crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, reconstructed the chronology of the tragedy in a conversation with Izvestia on December 25.

"The airplane could not land from the first time, it made three or four circles somewhere over Grozny. Then there was a pop and it [the plane] went sideways," Rakhimov said.

After the plane crashed, the man climbed out of the rubble by his own efforts. According to him, many people also got out on their own, while someone needed the help of rescuers because of serious injuries.

"I stood near the airplane, then I was already advised: 'It is better to go to the hospital, <...> maybe later it will all escalate,'" Rakhimov recalls.

At the moment, the man is in hospital, suffering from severe headaches. He also said that other victims have fractures of the legs and back, someone still has not regained consciousness.

Tragedy in Aktau: Baku-Grozny passenger plane crashed

A fire started at the scene and there are survivors

An Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane traveling between Baku and Grozny crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau earlier in the day. The crew attempted to make an emergency landing at the city's airport, but the plane went down and caught fire. Preliminarily, the cause of the plane's fall could have been a collision with a flock of birds.

The list of AZAL passengers includes 62 people, 32 survivors in total, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan said. The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reported that 16 Russians were flying in the plane. According to the Russian Embassy in the republic, 10 of them survived and were hospitalized. The Russian Emergencies Ministry's special airplane will deliver the Russians injured in the crash to Moscow on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A criminal case has been opened under the article "Violation of safety rules in the operation of a vehicle, causing the death of two or more persons by negligence". Search and rescue operations continue at the site of the tragedy. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) after the crash suspended flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation is completed. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared December 26 a day of mourning in the republic for the victims of the plane crash.