officials say the plane was en route from baku, azerbaijan, to grozny in russia's chechnya region, but was rerouted due to fog. and just into our newsroom is video of the crash. i must warn you, what you are about to see is difficult to watch. this new video appears to show the plane hitting the ground at a fast rate of speed, before erupting into a fireball. the ministry says there were 67 people on board. of those, 25 are believed to have survived, 42 are likely dead. the plane reportedly belongs to azerbaijan's airlines. again, if you are just joining us, we are following this breaking news out of central asia this morning where a large passenger plane has crashed in the kazakhstan city of aktau. the country is just south of russia. officials say the plane was en route from baku, azerbaijan, to grozny in russia's chechnya region, but was rerouted due to fog. the video appears to show the plane hitting the ground at a fast rate of speed, before erupting into a fireball. the ministry there says there were 67 people on board. of those, 25 are believed to still be alive and 42 are likel

officials say the plane was en route from baku, azerbaijan, to grozny in russia's chechnya region, but was rerouted due to fog. the plane reportedly belongs to azerbaijan airlines. the airline says there were 72 people on board. video online appears to show the plane hitting the ground at a fast rate of speed, before erupting into a fireball. right now, kazakhstan authorities say six people survived the plane crash. again, if you're just joining us, we are following breaking news out of central asia this morning where a large passenger plane has crashed in the kazakhstan city of aktau. the country is just south of russia. officials say the plane was in route from baku, azerbaijan, to grozny in russia's chechnya region, but was rerouted due to fog. the plane reportedly belongs to azerbaijan's airlines. the airline says there were 72 people on board. video online appears to show the plane hitting the ground at a fast rate of speed, before erupting into a fireball. right now, kazakhstan authorities say six people survived the plane crash. and we will bring you the latest information as we

do we knowl why so many passengers flying to chechnya? what are the reasons behind that?aijan's land borders have remained close since the covid pandemic and the president has cited national security reasons for this. we have seen and recovered social media where people say the land borders, if they had been open it would have been easier to travel by train. but some blame economic conditions in the country that force people to fly to chechnya and elsewhere in russia. there are more than 2 million azerbaijan people living in russia and lots of people have left the country to look for jobs in russia, including chechnya. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. president zelensky has condemned russia's large—scale missile attacks across ukraine on christmas day as inhmane. he said russia had launched over 70 missiles and 100 drones at ukraine's energy system in what he called a "conscious choice" to launch the attacks at xmas. ukraine's air force says it downed 59 of the missiles and more than half of the drones. the mayor of kharkiv, in the northeast of the co

officials say the plane was en route from baku, azerbaijan, to grozny in russia's chechnya region, butortedly diverted to kazakhstan due to a bird strike. and just into our newsroom is this video of the crash? i must warn you, it is difficult to watch. the video appears to show the plane hitting the ground at a fast rate of speed before erupting into a fireball. the ministry says there were 67 people on board. of those, 28 are believed to have survived. the plane reportedly belongs to azerbaijan's airlines. again, if you're just now joining us, we are following breaking news out of central asia this morning where a large passenger plane has crashed in the kazakhstan city of aktau. the country is just south of russia. officials say the plane was en route from baku, azerbaijan, to grozny in russia's chechnya region, but reportedly diverted to kazakhstan due to a bird strike. video appears to show the plane hitting the ground at a fast rate of speed, before erupting into a fireball. the ministry says there were 67 people on board. of those, 28 are believed to still be alive. the plane rep

, the capital of chechnya, where the plane was flying into will be excused because they already announcedwas approaching, they announced this system which is called the carpet. the carpet is window plans are leaving or entering that airspace, so ultimately, i think russia will find a way to absolving itself —— when there are no planes leaving or entering. a ukrainian official tells the bbc they hope a new year prisoner exchange with russia will happen "any day", although arrangements could yet fall through. there have beenjust ten exchanges this year, the lowest number since the start of russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine in 2022. ukraine doesn't publish numbers of prisoners of war being held by russia, but the total is thought to be more than 8,000. from kyiv, will vernon reports. a christmas concert for ukrainians exhausted by war. dancer liliya keeps her pain hidden. her boyfriend bohdan was captured by russian forces two and a half years ago. she hasn't heard from him since. translation: the christmas holidays are a painful time. . if you want to celebrate, then you should. but w

russian air defense systems were active at the time that the area where the plane was heading in chechnya was under a drone attack by ukraine, according to the kremlin. so clearly, a lot of speculation building, and this really feeds into the assessments that we've been hearing from military analysts, from u.s. officials, as well as sources who have spoken to reuters, familiar with the ongoing investigation, that the plane may have been impacted by russian anti-aircraft systems, air defense systems, and that may have led to the plane crashing in the kazakh city of aktau after it had been diverted from its original destination to grozny in the russian region of chechnya. now, of course, there has been a lot of evidence mounting, of course, and this will be crucial for investigators as they continue to examine what exactly led to this crash. of course, they have recovered two black boxes now that will provide investigators with flight data, as well as potentially with internal recordings from the cockpit. but what has also raised some serious questions is the holes and perforations that hav

, grozny, the capital of chechnya, where the plane was flying into, will be excused because they alreadys approaching, they announced their system which is called the carpet. the carpet is when no plans are leaving or entering that air space. so ultimately i think russia will find a way to absolve itself. the last major functioning hospital in northern gaza is now out of service after it was forcibly evacuated by the israeli military. the kamal adwan hospital has been under siege by the israel defense forces for weeks, and it now stands empty. the world health organization said it is deeply concerned for the safety of patients who were forced to leave. the head of the hospital's nursing department told the bbc that the israeli military gave them only a is—minute warning to clear patients and staff before troops entered the hospital and removed anyone that remained. palestinian health officials say about 100 medical staff were taken in for interrogation. the director of the hospital was also detained. israel said the raid on the hospital is now over and claims it was being used by hamas f

supposed to fly north west from of the by jones capital about to, to the city of growth need in chechnya, in southern russia instead it via hundreds of miles, of course, across the caspian sea. before crossing on wednesday, near the city of october in catholic stone, initially, all sorts he said, a book strike may have closed the crash, but an increasing number of international officials and aviation next book. now say they believe the plane was shot down by russian ga, across defense messiahs, or they say footage of the fuselage scene during the rescue efforts and images that have circulated on social media. so p assigns of shrapnel damage. it's also known that the carrier of southern rusted, the plane diverted from is repeatedly used at defense systems against ukrainian drain strikes as their resources familiar with the investigation, say the plains communications could have been power lies by electronic wolf systems on the approach into gross me the criminal has distance itself from the reports spokesman dmitri past calls to people to await the outcome of the investigation. remarkably

they didn't try to land in grozny, in chechnya. they chose to try and actually crash landed in kazakhstan. so that's an interesting wrinkle. and the azerbaijanis and the russians have been trying to get a little bit closer together. and that's part of a whole 'nother complicated scenario there, wolf. there's been a war that's been fought for decades now between armenia and azerbaijan, two countries there in the caucasus. russia used to be on the side with armenia. they've been increasingly flexing their muscles and gaining, trying to gain their independence. that will also be an interesting dynamic when we have our new president, president trump, because he has been pro-armenian. so it's it's incredibly complicated right now, very complicated. >> and indeed, general clark, why are commercial planes flying over this area if russia is actively shooting suspected drones out of the sky? >> well, it's a very good question, wolf. it's simply because vladimir putin and the people in the eurasian economic union that kazakhstan is part of,

plain was supposed to fly northwest from us or by sons capital back to the city of grove meet in chechnya, in southern russia. instead, it veered hundreds of miles, of course, across the caspian sea. before crashing on wednesday, near the city of octo, in context on initially authority set, a bird strike may have caused the crash, but an increasing number of international officials and aviation experts now say they believe plane was shot down by russian anti aircraft defense in the sales they say footage of the fuselage scene during the rescue efforts and images that have circulated on social media show clear signs of structural damage. it was also known that the area of southern russia, the plane diverted from, has repeatedly used air defense systems against ukrainian drone strikes. a very sources familiar with the investigation say the plains communications could have been paralyzed by electronic warfare systems on the approach integral. disney x cream, yet most exception. now the kremlin has distance itself from the reports spokesman dmitri pest coughing urged people to await the outco

kazakhstan after passengers heard bangs when it tried to land at its original destination, grozny, in chechnyaation: they say there were two bangs, l but i only heard one. it was quite substantial. i honestly didn't hear the second one. at first only some of the oxygen masks fell out, not all of them. investigators are now examining the damage to the outside of the plane. the owner, azerbaijan airlines, said only that it had suffered external physical and technical interference. the kremlin has again refused to comment on speculation that it was mistakenly brought down by a russian air defence system. translation: i'd like to point out that the situation - on that day during those hours in the area around grozny airport was very difficult. ukrainian military drones were carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the city of grozny and others nearby. in azerbaijan today, the first funerals for some of the 38 people who were killed. why they died will take time to find out, and will likely be disputed. jon donnison, bbc news. the world health organization says the israeli army

aircraft had left the azerbaijani capital of baku, en route to grozny in the russian republic of chechnya because of fog. duncan kennedy has the latest. this was the plane in its final moments. descending at high speed, its landing gear down. the pilot appears to be struggling to control the jet. it banks just before impact. much of the aircraft was crushed into a burning trail of wreckage. emergency workers converged on the scene, some crawling inside the plane looking for survivors. incredibly, dozens of passengers made it out. this man, just one of those staggering from the carnage. they were saved by this tail section, the only part of the aircraft left intact. the local hospital was filled with those wounded, but alive. this man says, "when the plane crashed, my wife was sitting next to me. "i haven't seen my wife since the crash." this is the family of one of the flight attendants on board — theirfears calmed by a video call he made from his hospital bed... ..saying, "don't worry. tell mum not to worry. thank god we are safe." the plane had been diverted by bad weather en route to g

the azerbaijan airlines jet was travelling from baku to chechnya when it diverted to kazakhstan, before reports. on board the stricken aeroplane, the passenger filming this notices some damage under the wing. back inside, despite oxygen masks and life jackets being visible, those on board seem calm. it's not clear how long before the crash this was filmed. there were 62 passengers and five crew on board this azerbaijan airlines flight from baku to grozny in southern russia. amateur footage shows the pilot struggling to control the plane as it tries to land. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question is why. i spoke to one military expert who said suggestions of a bird strike being responsible were unlikely. at the moment, evidence is still coming out, but the most likely hypothesis we see is that it was struck by an air defence missile, almost certainly russian, in the area over grozny where the plane was holding. ukrainian drones were active at the time, and this is commensurate with everything we've seen in the pilot's communica

the plane was en route to the city of grozny in russia's chechnya region before being diverted due to has the very latest. this was the plane in its final moments. descending at high speed, its landing gear down. the pilot appears to be struggling to control the jet. it banks just before impact. much of the aircraft was crushed into a burning trail of wreckage. emergency workers converged on the scene, some crawling inside the plane looking for survivors. incredibly, dozens of passengers made it out. this man, just one of those staggering from the carnage. they were saved by this tail section, the only part of the aircraft left intact. the local hospital was filled with those wounded, but alive. this man says, "when the plane crashed, my wife was sitting next to me. "i haven't seen my wife since the crash." the plane had been diverted by bad weather en route to grozny, in southern russia. the president of azerbaijan says experts will now look at all possible causes. translation: the reasons for the crash are not yet - known to us. there are various theories, but i believe it is premat

plane went down outside the city of aktau as it was was flying from the capital, baku, to grozny in chechnyaan josephs reports. this dramatic amateur footage captures the moments just before the crash. the azerbaijan airlines plane seems to be descending with some speed, and at a steep angle. experts suggest the pilots were struggling for control as they approached aktau. they had been diverted because of bad weather at the original destination of grozny, in southern russia. the kazakh authorities say 150 emergency personnel were sent to the scene. the front half, including the wings and fuel tanks, were engulfed in fire. the force of the impact split the aircraft in two. the rear, despite coming to rest upside down, is mostly intact. some passengers remarkably walked away from what must have were engulfed in fire. the force of the impact split the aircraft in two. the rear, despite coming to rest upside down, is mostly intact. some passengers remarkably walked away from what must have been a horrifying experience. translation: at 11:30. information was received about a plane crash three kil

the azerbaijan airlines jet was travelling from baku to chechnya when it diverted to kazakhstan beforear aktau. jonathan josephs reports. on board the stricken aeroplane, the passenger filming this notices some damage under the wing. back inside, despite oxygen masks and life jackets being visible, those on board seem calm. it's not clear how long before the crash this was filmed. there were 62 passengers and five crew on board this azerbaijan airlines flight from baku to grozny in southern russia. amateur footage shows the pilot struggling to control the plane as it tries to land. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question is why. i spoke to one military expert who said suggestions of a bird strike being responsible were unlikely. at the moment, evidence is still coming out, but the most likely hypothesis we see is that it was struck by an air defence missile, almost certainly russian, in the area over grozny where the plane was holding. ukrainian drones were active at the time, and this is commensurate with everything we've see

the plane went down outside the city as it was flying from the capital in chechnya.n joseph's reports. >> this dramatic amateur footage captures the moments just before the crash. the azerbaijan airlines claim seems to be descending at some speed and at a steep angle. experts suggest the pilots were struggling to control as they approached. they had been diverted because of bad weather at the original destination in southern russia. because up -- because exte -- kazakh authorities say the force of the impact split the aircraft in two. the rear, despite coming to rest upside down, is mostly intact. some passengers remarkably walked away from what must have been a horrifying experience. >> at 11:30, information was received about a plane crash three kilometers from the airport. additional emergency resources were sent and a 12:05, the fire had been extinguished. >> there were 67 people, including five crew, on board. many did not survive what should have been a routine flight of less than 19 minutes. the plane was 11 years old. the brazilian company has a strong safety

the azerbaijan airlines jet had been traveling to chechnya when it was diverted to kazakhstan, beforewn near aktau. >> onboard the stricken airplane , the passenger filming this notice is damage under the wing. backside, despite oxygen masks and life vests being visible, those on board were calm. there were 62 passengers and five crew on board this azerbaijan airlines flight in southern russia. amateur footage shows the pilot struggling to control the plane while it tries to land. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question is, why? i spoke to one military expert who said suggestions of a strike being responsible are unlikely. >> at the moment evidence is still coming out but the most likely hypothesis is that was struck by an air defense missile , most certainly russian, and the area where the plane was holding. ukrainian drones were active at the time. it is in line with the pilot's communication with air traffic control. >> these holes in the surviving part of the fuselage will be examined by investigators. meanwhile azerbaija

the aircraft was bound for grozny airport in the capital of chechnya, and effectively was in the air at the same time as this, russian military air defense activity was occurring to defend against a ukrainian drone attack. now the reports are from, uh, the, uh, some of the passengers that were on board the aircraft is that an explosion was heard outside of the aircraft, and shrapnel penetrated through the fuselage into the cabin of the aircraft. there is video from while the aircraft was still in flight showing shrapnel damage inside the aircraft. and then the video of the wreckage shows shrapnel damage to the tail, vertical stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer sections of the aircraft as well. so combining the fact that there was a drone attack being repelled by air defenses in the vicinity of where this aircraft was attempting to land, and the damage that was sustained in flight and visible after the crash points to a russian surface to air missile being launched at this aircraft while it was attempting to land at grozny. this has been not only highlighted by osprey, our company, b

the azerbaijan airlines jet had been traveling from baku to chechnya when it was diverted to kazakhstanming down near aktau. here is jonathan joseph. jonathan: on for the stricken airplane, the passenger filming this notices some damage under the wing. back inside, spite oxygen masks and lifejackets being visible, those on board seem calm. it's not clear how long before the crash this was filmed. there were 62 passengers and five crew on board this azerbaijan airlines flight from baku to grozny in southern russia. amateur footage shows the pilot struggling to control the plane as it tries to land. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question is why. i spoke to one military expert who said suggestions of a bird strike being responsible were unlikely. >> at the moment evidence is coming out, but most likely hypothesis is that it was struck by an air defense missile, most certainly russian can in the area over grozny where the plane was holding. ukrainian drones were active at the time, and this is commencement with everything raising

plane was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members as it traveled through the russian region of chechnya. some survivors emerged from the wreckage shortly after. rescue workers are now searching for dozens of people feared dead. police say a group of thieves went on a tear in san leandro, busting into a restaurant and a gamestop on christmas eve. they say they went to the elio's family restaurant first, where they stole liquor, food and eggs. police say they hit up a gamestop next. officers chased them and eventually caught one of those suspects. and we're learning more about the ski lift accident that sent five people to the hospital at heavenly ski resort in tahoe. witnesses report that the lift malfunctioned, causing one chair to slide backwards and collide with another. this photo shows a skier trapped between the two chairs, while others fell 30ft to the ground and the snow below. the resort has confirmed the incident but has not provided further details. we're still awaiting updates of the extent of those injuries. coming up, mega millions players still have a chance to make it a r

the plane went down as it was flying from the to chechnya. jonathan joseph reports. this dramatic amateur footage captures the moment just before the class -- crash. the azerbaijan airlines plane seems to be descending at a steep handle and speed. pilots were struggling to control as they approached. they had been diverted because of bad weather at their original destination in southern russia. the kazakh authorities say 150 emergency personnel were sent to the scene. the front half, including the wings and fuel tanks, were engulfed in fire. before's of the aircraft split in two. the rest is mostly intact. some passengers remarkably walked away from what must have been a horrifying experience. >> at 11:30 information was received about a plane crash. additional emergency resources were sent and at 12:05 the fire had been extinguished. reporter: there were 67 people including five crew on board. many have not survived what should have been a routine flight of less than 90 minutes. most of them were -- the plane was an 11-year-old plane. the brazilian company says it i

the plane was en route from the capital of azerbain to chechnya, in southern russia. the russian aviation authority says it appears the pilots tried to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. russian state media also said that flight had been diverted to kazakhstan due to fog. possibly hitting a flock of birds after that diversion. kelly cobiella, nbc news, london. >>> russia darkened ukraine's christmas day with a new wave of attacks. a barrage of missiles and drones targeted ukraine's power grid. it comes as the war is nearing the three-year mark. here's erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: as the war approaches its third devastating year, the fight intensifies. president putin claiming his troops are gaining ground every day. the ukrainians say those gains come at a high price for russia. >> i see how much troops russians lose and how small pieces of land they took. >> reporter: ukrainian soldier alexei asked we withhold his last name for security easons. he's been on the front lines in the country's battered east. it sounds like a living hell. >> we are soldiers,

j2, 8243 ended up there after something terrible happened en route from baku to grozny in russian chechnya. what that something was remains unclear. signs, however, suggest whatever happened damaged systems on board. which flight crews use to maintain directional control. this is video from on board keith poulsen. allahu akbar. >> allahu. akbar. allahu akbar. allah the man was reciting a muslim prayer. >> a declaration of faith. we do not know whether he survived. in all, at least 38 of 67 on board were killed. and though russian officials are blaming a bird strike, pieces of wreckage covered in punctures suggest the possibility of shrapnel entering the fuselage from the outside. tonight, a u.s. official tells cnn that early indications suggest a russian anti-aircraft missile may be to blame. again, there is a lot to this story. we still have yet to learn and much to talk about tonight. in a moment. more from our pentagon correspondent, cnn military analyst mark hertling and aerospace analyst miles o'brien. join us first. cnn's nadia bashir. >> this is the moment an azerbaijani plane attem

russian state media also reported that the plane had been rerouted due to heavy fog around chechnya's capital. several investigations have been opened, including one by a joint commission involving representatives from kazakhstan, azerbaijan and russia. >> kyle shanahan ishii, the commission's task is to fully investigate the matter, the causes and all the details of the accident and to inform both me and the people of azerbaijan. >> the kremlin expressed condolences for those impacted by the crash and urged against speculation into the cause. until the investigations have concluded. of the 67 people on board, 29 survived, including two children, authorities said. in azerbaijan, a day of mourning was declared for the dead. some relatives of the survivors remain on edge, waiting for news on loved ones recovery. >> i don't know what to say, honestly. i spoke with my son today. thank god his condition is good. if everything goes well today and tomorrow, he will come to baku. let's see what happens next. >> for many families of the at least 38 people killed in the crash, answers can't com

was that the pilots requested the permission to land in grozny, which, remember, is the capital of chechnya, in the russian federation. it is under the control of vladimir putin. he has a strong man there. everyone knows ramzan kadyrov. he is essentially in charge, calling the shots. but it may be that the that the either the pilots or the you know, somebody intervened to say, we don't want to land in the russian federation. of course, that could have cost lives because people may have been hurt at that point. we don't really know. but there are always potics, unfortunately, involved. when you're talking about the russian federation, vladimir putin, let's remember, the aircraft is an azerbaijani aircraft. relations between azerbaijan and russia are kind of touch and go right now. they may be better than otherwise. although the government in azerbaijan is waiting to see what its relationship is with, with our government. the incoming trump administration. so that's complicating things. i'm sure kazakhstan is a central asian country. it used to be part of the soviet union. the russian foreign

russian state media also reported that the plane had been rerouted due to heavy fog around chechnya's capital. several investigations have been opened, including one by a joint commission involving representatives from kazakhstan, azerbaijan and russia. >> commissioner. >> the commission's task is to fully investigate the matter, the causes and all the details of the accident and to inform both me and the people of azerbaijan. >> the kremlin expressed condolences for those impacted by the crash and urged against speculation into the cause. until the investigations have concluded. of the 67 people on board, 29 survived, including two children, authorities said. in azerbaijan, a day of mourning was declared for the dead. some relatives of the survivors remain on edge, waiting for news on loved ones recovery i don't know what to say, honestly. >> i spoke with my son today. thank god his condition is good. if everything goes well today and tomorrow, he will come to baku. let's see what happens next. >> for many families of the at least 38 people killed in the crash, answers can't come soo

the plane was on its way to chechnya but was diverted to an airport nearby in another country after declaring an emergency just before the crash. russian aviation authorities initially said it was likely the plane struck a flock of birds. but a u.s. official says it may have been hit by russian air defense systems. a top russian official is warning against early speculation with the investigation in its infancy. but tonight, questions are mounting across the world on whether it was shot down. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: tonight, speculation and skepepticism swirling over the skies of kazakhstan. as a mounting chorus of aviation experts and government officials supported by new video of the wreckage questioning what really happened. moments after the crash, a shell-shocked survivor miraculously stumbling out of the plane's wreckage while stunning video inside the plane as it was still in the air shows people calm, even after oxygen masks dropped. the flight took off from azerbaijan early wednesday, heading to grozny in southern russia. russian officials

of course, the plane was intended to travel to grozny in the russian region of chechnya, before it was diverted. it crashed in the kazakh city of aktau. and now, of course, as you mentioned, putin stopped short of admitting any sort of responsibility for that, but did acknowledge that russian air defense systems were operating at the time. and, of course, we've been hearing from u.s. officials as well as weapons and experts and aviation experts who have suggested that the holes and perforations that can be seen in the wreckage of the plane and the fuselage would suggest potentially shrapnel damage as a result of an explosion. so that will be something that investigators are looking at at the kazakh government has set up a commission essentially tasked with carrying out this investigation. they will be looking at all the evidence at hand. we know, of course, that two black boxes have been recovered, which will provide investigators with information regarding the flight data, as well as potentially internal recordings from within the cockpit. and remarkably, of course, we do have first h