Tragedy in Aktau: Baku-Grozny passenger plane crashed
In the morning on Wednesday, December 25, it became known about the crash of the plane near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The passenger ship was on its way from Baku to Grozny, but gave a distress signal. On board were 62 passengers, as well as five crew members. According to the latest information, 38 people died and 32 people survived, all of whom have been taken to hospital. Nine people are in extremely serious condition. Among the injured are at least 10 Russians, the Russian Embassy specified. Read more about the incident - in the material "Izvestia".
The crash of the plane in Aktau: the reasons, whether there are survivors
On Wednesday, December 25, received information about the crash of a passenger plane near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The vessel Embraer 190 (E-90) of Azerbaijan Airlines was on its way from Baku to Grozny, but, according to the Chechen airport, it was diverted to Makhachkala due to fog over the arrival city.
It is also reported that an emergency distress call was made from the flight prior to the tragedy. The crew attempted to make an emergency landing at Aktau airport, but fell and caught fire, Kazakh Tengri writes. The pilots acted in manual mode, as the ship's automation failed, the operational headquarters at the site of the emergency told Interfax.
The plane crash in Aktau killed 38 people, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told on Wednesday evening. According to the latest data, 32 people were taken to hospitals, among them three children. The Russian Embassy specified that at least 10 of the injured were Russians.
Azerbaijan Airlines published a list of passengers and crew members of the crashed airliner in its Telegram channel. According to the list, the youngest passenger from the Russian Federation is 11 years old, the oldest is 69 years old.
According to Telegram-channel "112 KZ", rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan arrived at the crash site. 52 personnel and 11 units of equipment are involved in the elimination of the emergency.
In total, according to official data, there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. According to the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 citizens of Russia, six citizens of Kazakhstan and three citizens of Kyrgyzstan were on board.
The airline said in a statement that there were no children among the passengers of the plane.
Causes of the plane crash in Aktau, investigation
Because of what caused the crash of the airplane, experts will find out, however, according to a preliminary version, the tragedy could have been caused by a collision with a flock of birds, writes "RIA Novosti".
As reported by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan in its Telegram-channel, the circumstances of the accident are currently being clarified. Subsequently, a special investigation will be carried out.
It is already known that the consul general of Azerbaijan in Aktau Aikhan Suleymanli left for the scene.
"So far I can't say anything specific, I am on the road on the way to the scene of the incident," the consul general said.
The Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan is also clarifying information about the victims.
Reaction to the crash of the plane Baku - Grozny
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev in connection with the plane crash in Kazakhstan. This was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 25. Peskov also said that Russia expresses hope for a quick recovery of those who survived the crash of an airplane in Kazakhstan.
Earlier it became known that Aliyev was returning to Baku from Russia from the CIS summit in connection with the plane crash.
The head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov in his Telegram-channel expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims of the plane crash near Aktau. "I express my condolences to the relatives of the dead passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines airliner that crashed in Aktau on a flight from Baku to Grozny. It is reported that there are 12 survivors in extremely serious condition. We pray to Almighty God for their recovery," Kadyrov wrote.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova specified that the Russian embassy in Kazakhstan, as well as our foreign missions on the territory of this country are in contact with local authorities on the issue of providing assistance to the victims of the airplane crash.
Criminal case and compensation to the victims
A criminal case has been opened over the crash under the article "Violation of safety rules in the operation of vehicles, which caused the death of two or more persons by negligence".
Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov signed a decree creating a government commission to investigate the causes of the plane crash.
"The commission includes the deputy prime minister, the akim of Mangistau region, the leadership of the ministries of emergency situations, transport, foreign affairs, internal affairs, labor and social protection of the population, health care, the chief transport prosecutor," - stated in the message on the website of the head of the government of Kazakhstan.
Members of the Commission were instructed to immediately fly to the scene of the accident, to ensure a comprehensive investigation of the incident and take measures to provide priority assistance to the families of the dead and injured. The governments of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan cooperate in this work.
Ex-investigator of the Investigative Committee, criminal lawyer Maxim Kalinov explained in his commentary to Izvestia that the relatives of the victims will be recognized as victims in a criminal case, which may be opened under the article on violation of flight rules or preparation for them. But there is a possibility of a different composition.
As part of the criminal case, the victims can file a claim not even in court, but directly to the investigator for any amount they consider necessary to compensate for the harm caused. If there will be a criminal case, the statement of claim is attached to the case file together with the consideration of the criminal case, and the claim is considered at the same time. But if there is no criminal case, it is possible to file a lawsuit against the airline: the airplane may have been in improper condition. In this case, you can count on compensation, the lawyer explained.
- The investigation is likely to take place in Kazakhstan. According to the Criminal Procedure Code, the investigation takes place at the place where the crime was committed. But there are international treaties, according to which the investigation can be transferred, for example, to the Russian Federation. Whether this will be done is unknown," the expert said.
What kind of airplane Embraer 190
Embraer 190 (in IATA classification - E-90) is a civilian medium-range passenger airplane for medium-range transportation for 3-4 thousand km, created in Brazil. It belongs to the newest family of airplanes. The first flight took place on March 12, 2004. In the market this airplane competes with Boeing 717-200, Boeing 737-600 and Airbus A318, Airbus A319. In addition to the basic version, an extended range version of the Embraer 190LR is also produced. The longer version is the Embraer 195.
