Survivors on Azerbaijani Plane Say They Heard Bangs Before It Went Down

December 28, 2024 | 01:15 pm

TEMPO.CO, Baku - Two passengers and one crew member on the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan told Reuters that they heard at least one loud bang as it approached its original destination of Grozny in southern Russia.

Flight J2-8243 crashed on Wednesday in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defense systems against Ukrainian attack drones. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.

"After the bang...I thought the plane was going to fall apart," Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers, told Reuters from the hospital.

He said he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing the bang.

"It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way," he said. "It was as if it was drunk - not the same plane anymore."

Another passenger on the plane told Reuters that she also heard a loud bang.

"I was very scared," said Vafa Shabanova, adding that there was also a second bang.

She was then told by a flight attendant to move to the back of the plane.

Both passengers said there appeared to be a problem with the oxygen levels in the cabin after the bang.

Flight attendant Zulfugar Asadov said landing was denied in Grozny due to fog so the pilot circled at which point there were bangs outside the aircraft.

"The pilot had just lifted the plan up when I heard a bang from the left wing. There were three bangs," he said.

Something rammed into his left arm. The cabin lost pressure.

Beyond the horror of the crash, the first-person narratives from the passengers gives an insight into what may have caused the disaster.

Azerbaijan Airlines suspended a host of flights to Russian cities on Friday and said it considered the crash was caused by what it termed "physical and technical external interference". It did not detail what that interference was.

Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation into the disaster told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defenses had mistakenly shot it down.

Russia has said it is important to wait for the official investigation to finish its work to understand what happened.

CRASH LANDING

The Embraer (EMBR3.SA) passenger jet had flown from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grozny, in Russia's southern Chechnya region, before veering off hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea.

"The captain said that he was advised to land the plane at sea, but he decided to set a course for Aktau and land it on the ground," attendant Asadov said.

"He warned that there would be a hard landing and asked us to be ready and prepare the passengers."

It crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian after what Russia's aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

• 1
• 2
• Selanjutnya

Russia Warns U.S. Against Possible Nuclear Testing Under Trump

18 jam lalu

Finland Boards Oil Tanker Suspected of Causing Internet, Power Cable Outages

1 hari lalu

Russian Air-Defense System Downed Azerbaijan Plane, Sources Say

1 hari lalu

Indonesia Ensures No Citizens Onboard During Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash

1 hari lalu

Russia Launches 'Inhuman' Christmas Day Attacks, Ukraine Says

2 hari lalu

Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crashes in Kazakhstan, Killing 38

2 hari lalu

Ex-Bangladesh PM Hasina's Son Accused of Nuclear Energy Project Corruption with Russia

2 hari lalu

Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crashes, 28 Passengers Survived

2 hari lalu

Bashar al-Assad Transports US$250 Million in Cash from Syria to Russia

11 hari lalu

Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Denies Planned Exit from Syria

11 hari lalu