Moment survivors are pulled from the wreckage of a crashed plane


Moment survivors are pulled from the wreckage of a crashed plane

UPDATED: 04:12 GMT, 26 December 2024 The terrifying moments before and after an Azerbaijan Airlines plane ploughed into the ground and erupted into a ball of flames have been caught on camera. Passengers made their final video calls to loved ones before the tragic jet crash which killed 38 people. Then, heart-wrenching footage snapped survivors pulling themselves from the mangled wreckage. The clips came to light as fears grew around Russian involvement - and whether it played a part in the fiery crash. The Azerbaijan Airlines plane carrying 67 passengers and five crew members crashed near Aktau in Western Kazakhstan - leaving 38 dead. The flight left Azerbaijan's capital Baku on its way to the Russian city of Grozny, it was flying over the republic of Dagestan along the Caspian Sea coast when it disappeared from tracking. It then showed up around an hour later off course and flying low above the water near western Kazakhstan before crashing. A new clip has surfaced of survivors emerging from the wreckage. Half of the mangled plane can be seen in the clip, with emergency services and passengers surrounding the aircraft in the hunt to find survivors. One person can be seen being dragged to safety, their legs dangling. In the background cries and screams can be heard from surrounding people. One bloodied man can seen limping away from the wreckage. Another video shows the moment the plane hits the ground, bursting into flames on impact and sending a huge black smoke cloud into the air. Footage of the aircraft has showed suspicious holes in the fuselage, leading to rumours that the aircraft was shot down by Russians. Aeroplane tracker Flight Radar 24, showed the plane disappear before the crash, suggesting it was exposed to air defense systems in Russia. Ahead of the crash, the crew had reported a strong impact on the hull. They assumed the aircraft hit a flock of birds but later it was reported that it was the explosion of an oxygen tank to supply the cockpit in the event of depressurisation. This supposed sudden depressurisation of the cylinder caused significant damage to the hull and its 'scattering into fragments'.