Survivors of the downed Azerbaijan Airlines plane have recounted their horrific experiences. Two passengers and a crew member claimed to have heard at least one loud noise while en route to the southern Russian city of Grozny. Flight J2-8243 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan on Wednesday (December 25). British news agency Reuters reported this news.
The plane was diverted away from an area in southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defenses to repel Ukrainian drone strikes. At least 38 people were killed in the accident. 29 survived.
“After the explosion… I thought the plane was going to collapse,” injured passenger Subhankul Rahimov told Reuters from the hospital. He said that after hearing the explosion, he started praying and preparing for death.
Vafa Shabanova, another passenger on the plane, told Reuters she also heard a loud noise. He also said he heard a second explosion. He was then asked by a flight attendant to go to the back of the plane.
Both passengers said there were problems with oxygen levels in the cabin after the explosion.
Flight attendant Zulfugar Asadov said landing in Grozny was not allowed due to fog. So the pilot turns around and then an explosion is heard from outside the plane.
“I heard an explosion from the left wing when the pilot took the plane up,” he said. A total of three explosions took place. He also said that something hit his left hand.
Azerbaijan Airlines suspended flights to several Russian cities on Friday after the crash. They believe the accident was caused by physical and technical external interference. However, what this intervention is is not detailed.
Four sources familiar with the preliminary results of the Azerbaijan investigation told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defenses shot it down by mistake.
Russia said it was important to wait until the official investigation was completed to understand the incident.
The Embraer passenger jet was flying from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Russia's southern Chechnya region. It then diverges hundreds of miles over the Caspian Sea.
Attendant Asadov said the captain said he was told to land the plane in the sea. But he decided to head for Aktau and land on land.
Also, the pilot warned that it would be a difficult landing and told us to be ready and passengers ready.
Russia's aviation regulator said it was an emergency, possibly caused by a bird strike.
The crash showed how risky civilian aviation can be, even when flying hundreds of miles from a battlefield, especially when a major drone war is underway.
