Russia has been accused of downing the passenger plane.
A woman who survived the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, which killed 38 people, described feeling an explosion near her leg. The plane, carrying 67 passengers, crash-landed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. It is widely believed that the incident was caused by a Russian missile strike from the country’s air defense systems.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev declared with certainty that the plane was shot down by Russia, accusing the country of attempting to cover up the incident for several days. He mentioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin had apologized to him but insisted that Russia must take responsibility by admitting guilt, punishing those responsible, and providing compensation to the Azerbaijani state, as well as the injured passengers and crew.
One of the survivors, passenger Jerova Salihat, spoke from her hospital bed and described feeling an explosion near her leg. “Something exploded near my leg,” she recalled. “I don’t know what exploded or how it happened.” She added that the pilot initially thought he was going to land, but instead, the explosion occurred when the plane began to ascend again.
Salihat is among several survivors who have shared accounts of the plane being struck by explosions. Flight attendant Zulfugar Asadov reported being hit in the arm by shrapnel, while other cabin crew members described hearing “three explosions outside the aircraft” as they flew over Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.
The plane ultimately crash-landed in Kazakhstan after the captain decided against attempting a landing in the Caspian Sea. During the crash landing, the plane split into two parts, and the front section exploded in a fireball.
U.S. military sources have supported the claim that the passenger plane was shot down by Russian weapons after it departed from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and was en route to Grozny.
Subhonkul Rakhimov, a passenger on board the flight, recalled thinking he was going to die during the crash. He described feeling his body twisting before hearing a violent impact, followed by complete silence. Eventually, he heard people moaning, which made him realize he had survived the ordeal but was unsure of what to do next.
Flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva attempted to reassure passengers in the final moments before the plane crashed, telling them that “everything will be fine.” Sadly, she and many others lost their lives in the crash.
Her colleague, Asadov, explained that they had instructed passengers to remain calm and stay in their seats. He added that the breaking up of the plane during the crash landing likely saved some lives. “If the plane had touched down with both the front and rear landing gears at the same time, no one would have survived,” he said.
“When the front landing gear touched the ground, the plane broke into two pieces, and the front cockpit was torn off,” Asadov recounted.
