Bodycam footage shows distressing aftermath of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan

Kazakh rescuers’ bodycam footage captured the heartbreaking scenes at the scene of Wednesday’s Azerbaijan Airlines plane disaster near Aktau, Kazakhstan, which claimed 38 lives. From Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, the Embraer 190 plane crashed close to Aktau, Kazakhstan, after apparently being diverted because of fog. Authorities rescued 29 people from the jet after it was forced to make an emergency landing while carrying 62 passengers and five crew members.

The plane crossed the Caspian Sea and crashed close to the Kazakh city of Aktau instead of traveling northwest from Baku to Grozny. According to footage from a bodycam mounted on one of the rescuers and released by Russian media site RT, firefighters raced towards the aircraft to put out the fire at the scene of the crash. Pieces of clothing that appeared to have belonged to the people on board the doomed flight were spread on the ground, along with other remnants of the aircraft and possessions.

The aircraft was carrying 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, and sixteen from Russia, according to the Kazakh transport ministry. According to the Flight Radar website, the plane deviated from its intended path, crossed the Caspian Sea, and circled over the region where it ultimately crashed close to Aktau. One of the alleged films of the disaster that have been making the rounds on social media was made by a passenger on the Azerbaijan Airlines flight. It shows the chaotic events inside the aircraft and the scary minutes before and after the accident. Another video that has gone viral on social media shows a guy praying just before the crash, with the sound of the plane’s engine roaring and panicked voices filling the background.