The Christmas Day plane crash in Kazakstan's Aktau rocked the world as 38 lives were lost in the tragedy. The Embraer 190 of the Azerbaijani Airlines was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it met with the mishap.
32 of the 67 people on board survived the crash that is believed to have happened after the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board. Meanwhile, an Indian citizen witnessed the aeroplane accident up close and quickly played his role in saving lives at Aktau.
Jins M, native to Kerala's Manimala, is an employee at a hotel in Aktau, not far from Wednesday's crash site.
Talking to Manorma Online, Jins said the aeroplane mishap occurred while he was on his way to work. He recalled that his friend, who was with him in the car, spotted the flight making the nosedive first. Soon, there was a loud, explosive boom forcing them to stop the vehicle.
The duo wasted no time rushing to the area when large black smoke was growing from. By the time they reached the spot, rescue professionals had arrived, and civilians were no longer permitted to go near the debris, he added.
However, Jins did his part by donating blood to the hospital where survivors were taken.
Azerbaijan's state news agency, Azertac, said that an official delegation of Azerbaijan's emergency situations minister, the deputy general prosecutor and the vice president of Azerbaijan Airlines were sent to Aktau to conduct an on-site investigation.
