THIS is the terrifying moment a passenger plane plunged from the sky, erupting into a fireball in a devastating Christmas Day crash that has left dozens feared dead.
Heart-stopping footage shows the Embraer aircraft nosediving before smashing into the ground near Aktau in western Kazakhstan.
The plane can be seen nosediving before the crash[/caption]
The moment the aircraft hit the ground before it burst in flames[/caption]
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190AR crashed during an emergency landing in Aktau, Kazakhstan[/caption]
Dozens are now feared dead as the plane attempted to land at Aktau in western Kazakhstan[/caption]
The plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, had 105 passengers and five crew members on board.
Its fiery descent saw it breaking into several parts upon crash landing.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, battling towering flames and thick plumes of black smoke rising ominously into the sky.
Authorities said that 25 people, including a child, were miraculously pulled alive from the wreckage, but several are reported to be in critical condition.
Officials revealed the flight, en route from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny in Russia, sent out a distress signal at just 2,125 feet over the Caspian Sea.
Reports suggest the plane collided with a flock of birds, causing steering failure.
The cockpit’s final, desperate attempt to land in Aktau was captured in horrifying detail.
The aircraft is seen descending too steeply, its nose pointed sharply down, moments before the crash shattered the festive morning.
Witnesses described a deafening explosion as the plane broke apart and burst into flames upon impact.
Images of the flaming wreckage, with emergency services battling to control the inferno, capture the sheer scale of the disaster as charred fragments of the plane lie scattered across the crash site.
A terrified passenger is rescued from the crashed plane[/caption]
A drone view shows the crash site of the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan[/caption]
Emergency specialists working at the crash site[/caption]
Kazaeronavigatsiya, Kazakhstan’s air navigation authority, confirmed the emergency declaration, stating: “The Embraer 190 AHY8243 aircraft travelling on the Baku-Grozny route declared an emergency situation due to a collision with a bird and violation of steering control.”
Initial reports suggested there were only 67 people onboard, but authorities later confirmed the devastating reality of 110 passengers and crew.
Among them were at least 60 Russian nationals, heading to Grozny, the capital of Russia‘s Chechnya region—an area under the control of Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Emergency services trying to put out the fire[/caption]