A harrowing video taken by a passenger inside the cabin of an aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan today has been shared widely on social media, showing the final moments of the doomed plane. Thirty-five people were killed in the crash near Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
In the video, the passenger is heard saying “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as the plane goes into a steep descent. Yellow oxygen masks were seen dangling over the seats. Screaming and crying were heard, amid the soft doorbell-like sound of the ‘wear seatbelt’ light.
The plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku on the western shore of the Caspian to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia. Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said the plane “made an emergency landing” around 3 km from Aktau.
Another video taken inside the cabin – the plane’s ceiling panel that has reading lights and air blower is upside down – showed people screaming for help. The video was clearly after the plane had crashed.
The final moments of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane before its crash in Kazakhstan were captured by a passenger onboard.
Aftermath also included in the footage. pic.twitter.com/nCRozjdoUY
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 25, 2024
Blood stains on some armrests were visible.
Azerbaijani authorities said 32 people survived the crash of the Embraer 190, a narrow-body passenger aircraft.
