By Gleb Stolyarov and Nailia Bagirova
BAKU (Reuters) – Two passengers and a crew member of the Azerbaijan Airways aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan informed Reuters they heard at the least one loud bang because the aircraft approached its vacation spot of origin, Grozny, in southern Russia.
Flight J2-8243 crashed in a fireball close to the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday after diverting from an space in southern Russia the place Moscow has repeatedly used air protection techniques in opposition to Ukrainian assault drones. A minimum of 38 individuals have been killed and 29 survived.
“After the explosion… I believed the aircraft was going to break down,” Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of many passengers, informed Reuters from hospital.
He stated he started saying prayers and getting ready for the top after listening to the noise.
“It was apparent the aircraft had been broken in a roundabout way,” he stated. “It was like he was drunk – it’s not the identical aircraft.”
One other passenger on the aircraft informed Reuters she additionally heard a loud bang.
“I used to be very scared,” stated Vafa Shabanova, including that there was additionally a second blow.
A flight attendant then requested him to maneuver to the again of the aircraft.
Each passengers stated there seemed to be an issue with oxygen ranges within the cabin after the detonation.
Flight attendant Zulfugar Asadov stated that the touchdown was denied in Grozny resulting from fog, so the pilot made a circle and at that second there was a detonation outdoors the aircraft.
“The pilot had simply lifted the aircraft once I heard a noise coming from the left wing. There have been three bangs,” he stated.
One thing hit his left arm. The cabin has misplaced stress.
Past the horror of the accident, the passengers’ first-person accounts present perception into what might have precipitated the catastrophe.
Azerbaijan Airways suspended a sequence of flights to Russian cities on Friday and stated it thought-about the accident to be attributable to what it referred to as “exterior bodily and technical interference.” He didn’t specify what this interference was.
4 sources with information of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan’s investigation into the catastrophe informed Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defenses shot it down by mistake.
Russia stated it was essential to attend till the official investigation was full to know what occurred.
CRASH LANDING
The Embraer jetliner had flown from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny in Russia’s southern Chechnya area earlier than touring tons of of kilometers throughout the Caspian Sea.
“The captain stated he was suggested to land at sea, however he determined to move to Aktau and land it on the bottom,” Asadov stated.
“He warned that there can be a tough touchdown and requested us to be prepared and put together the passengers.”
It crashed on the alternative shore of the Caspian after what Russia’s aviation watchdog stated was an emergency which will have been attributable to a chicken collision.
Footage taken by passengers on the aircraft earlier than it crashed confirmed oxygen masks pulled down and folks carrying life jackets. Later footage confirmed bloodied and bruised passengers exiting the aircraft.
After the turmoil of the crash touchdown, there was silence earlier than the groans of the wounded started, Rakhimov stated.
The accident highlighted the dangers to civil aviation even when planes are flying tons of of miles from a struggle zone, notably when a significant drone struggle is underway.
Earlier disasters embody the taking pictures down of Ukraine Worldwide Airways Flight PS752 in 2020 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, killing all 176 individuals on board.
In 2014, Malaysian Airways Flight MH17 was shot down over japanese Ukraine by a Russian BUK missile system, ensuing within the lack of 298 passengers and crew.
In 1983, the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Strains Flight 007 after it veered astray and crossed into prohibited airspace. In 1988, throughout the Iran-Iraq Struggle, the US warship Vincennes shot down an Iran Air flight over the Gulf, killing all 290 individuals on board.
DRONE WAR
The Azerbaijan Airways aircraft obtained into bother close to Grozny, greater than 850 km from the Ukrainian entrance strains, however which stays a repeated goal of Ukrainian drones which have struck far behind Russian strains.
Russia makes use of superior digital jamming gear to confuse the monitoring and communications techniques of Ukrainian drones and numerous air protection techniques to shoot down the drones.
Since Russia despatched 1000’s of troops to Ukraine in 2022, airways have flown over Ukraine and Russia has closed main airports in southwest Russia.
“We’re in battle on this space and that is not going to vary,” stated Andrew Nicholson, CEO of Osprey Flight Options.
“The second you set civilian plane in that very same airspace, you considerably improve the danger, particularly when a drone assault is underway and air protection exercise is underway, as was the case on this state of affairs.”
Russia’s aviation watchdog stated Friday the aircraft determined to depart its authentic vacation spot in Chechnya amid heavy fog and an area alert about Ukrainian drones.
Rosaviatsia stated the captain was supplied different airports to land at, however selected Aktau, Kazakhstan. He stated he would offer complete assist to the Kazakh and Azerbaijani investigations into the accident.
Requested about stories that Russian air defenses had shot down the aircraft by mistake, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Friday that he had nothing so as to add and didn’t wish to give any evaluation till ’till the official investigation has delivered its conclusions.
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