The Embraer E190AR with registration number 4K-AZ65, which had been destined for Grozny, Russia, crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan after sending a distress signal on Christmas Day
A passenger plane thought to be carrying more than 100 people has crashed on Christmas Day.
The plane hit the ground and burst into a fireball in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The Embraer E190AR with registration number 4K-AZ65 had sent a distress signal following a collision with a bird as it had intended to reach Grozny in Russia.
Several people are feared dead, Kazakhstan Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova said. Others are in critical conditions.
Kazaeronavigatsiya, the Kazakhstan air navigation service, said: “An Embraer 190 AHY8243 aircraft travelling on the Baku-Grozny route declared an emergency situation due to collision with a bird and violation of steering control. The aircraft was carrying 105 passengers and five crew members.”
The plane declared the emergency situation at an altitude of 2,125 feet over the Caspian Sea. It hit a bird – or several birds – and then came plummeting down, smashing to the ground at speed.
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