Azerbaijan Airlines Passengers Recall Loud Bang Before Plane Went Down

Sources Say Preliminary Findings Indicate Russia Mistakenly Shot Down the Aircraft

BAKU - Two passengers on the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan told Reuters that they heard at least one loud bang as it approached its original destination of Grozny in southern Russia.

Flight J2-8243 crashed on Dec 25 in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defense systems against Ukrainian drones.

At least 38 people were killed, while 29 people survived.

"After the bang... I thought the plane was going to fall apart," Mr. Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers, told Reuters from the hospital, adding that he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing the bang.

"It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way," he said. "It was as if it was drunk - not the same plane anymore."

Another passenger said that she also heard a loud bang.

"I was very scared," said Ms. Vafa Shabanova, adding that there was also a second bang. She was then told by a flight attendant to move to the back of the plane.

Both passengers said there appeared to be a problem with the oxygen levels in the cabin after the bang.

Beyond the horror of the crash, the first-person narratives from the passengers give an insight into what may have caused the disaster.