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Officials: Plane Carrying 67 People From Azerbaijan To Russia Crashes In Kazakhstan At Least 25 Survivors; Pope Francis Preparing For Annual Christmas Message; Catholics Attend Christmas Eve Mass In Chinese Capital; Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 25, 2024 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[04:00:27]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: And a good day to you wherever you're joining me from around the world, I'm Richard Quest. It's Christmas Day Wednesday, December 25, 9:00 o'clock in the morning here in London. I will get to all the celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah in just a moment. I want to start, I must start with breaking news to bring you from Kazakhstan.

These are pictures of the Embraer 190 that has just crashed in Act 2 in Kazakhstan. It's an Embraer 190. It had 62 passengers and five crew on board. It was flying from Baku to Grozny when as the video that's now being seen, you can see the plane comes in to land.

It's believed that the aircraft is making an emergency landing at Act 2, but earlier video does show and indeed, if we look at the video, if we look at the flight data on flight Data, Flight Radar 24, it shows the vertical speed and the altitude of the aircraft going up and down, up and down in the final moments of flight before this emergency landing is attempted and the plane does crash. It's known that, and this is the miracle, if you will, that 25 people have survived, of which 22 are in hospital. You can see there the nature of the crash. So the way in which the pilots were able to bring this aircraft, which was clearly having flight control issues, into an emergency landing about 3 kilometers short of the airport is nothing short of remarkable.

This would be, I think, defined as a controlled crash, if that makes sense, in that it was the plane, although the pilot was having control difficulty, does not look like it was completely out of control at the moment of impact. Azerbaijan Airlines has a fairly good safety record with only a handful of safety incidents over the last decade or so. The aircraft itself, which was an Embraer Air 190, relatively new by aviation standards, it was delivered in 2013. Interestingly, the plane had been stored by Azerbaijan Airlines for some six or seven months this year, which obviously will be of interest. But I think that bearing in mind, number one, the weather was fine. There are no obvious weather issues. Number two, we know that the pilots squawked 7,700, which is the emergency transponder squawk. So they knew they were there and were diverting from the route act to being the natural diversion point from over the Caspian Sea. It does appear that we will have good details of what happened in this crash.

The miracle of the news is that 25 people have survived what is a pretty dreadful, horrific incident. When there's more details, of course I'll let you know what they are.

Now it is December the 25th, Christmas Day, just after 10:00 o'clock in the morning at the Vatican. And there Pope Francis is preparing to deliver his annual Urbi et Orbi to the city and the world. It's his Christmas message. At midnight Mass, in his homily, the Pope pleaded for developed nations to reduce the debt burden on low income countries by saying the story of Jesus should inspire everyone to make a difference in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (voiceover): There is so much desolation in this time. Think of wars and children being gunned down, bombs on schools and hospitals. Don't delay, don't slow down, but let yourself be drawn by the good news. This is our task, to translate hope into the different situations of life.

Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search of truth, dreamers who never tire. Women and men open to being challenged by God's dream of a new world where peace and justice reign.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:05:04]

QUEST: Hundreds of Catholic worshipers attended Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of the Savior in Beijing, where dozens of police officers standing guard as minority Catholics have faced historic suppression in China. Britain's Princess of Wales hosted her Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, and it was broadcast last night to the United Kingdom. And the United States, President Biden shared an uplifting Christmas message to Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: And too often we see each other as enemies, not as neighbors, not as fellow Americans. So my hope this Christmas season is that we take a few moments of quiet reflection, find that stillness in the heart of Christmas, and look at each other. That's who we really are, fellow Americans, fellow human beings worthy of being treated with dignity and respect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: To Paris now, a real feeling of rebirth and renewal. There were thousands of worshipers who turned up at Notre Dame for the first Christmas Mass in five years. What a glorious event. The grand structure reopened this month after the devastating fire in 2019 that cost a billion dollars or so to restore the cathedral. And so back in the Vatican, where Pope Francis kicked off the Catholic

Holy Year, known as a Jubilee, the ceremonial opening of the holy door at St. Peter's Basilica. Our Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb reports.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis formally began the Catholic Church's jubilee year in St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve. The Jubilee is ancient tradition which is focused on forgiveness and pilgrimage, and during the year, 35 million people are expected to travel to Rome. The Pope began the Jubilee with the opening of the holy door in St. Peter's Basilica, which is normally cemented shut but has been opened for this special celebration.

The Pope was wheeled up to the door. It opened and pilgrims filed in behind him, touching the bronze panels as is tradition. According to Catholic teaching, those who carry out certain spiritual, charitable acts and go through a holy door will receive an indulgence which is related to the forgiveness of sins.

The Pope is hoping this Jubilee can bring hope to a troubled world, and in his Christmas Eve homily, said he wanted the Jubilee to be a time where peace and justice reign. And the Pope has also called for the Jubilee to be a time when richer countries forgive the debts of poorer nations and for prisoners to be offered amnesties or pardons. The day after Christmas, the Pope will travel to Rebibbia Prison on the outskirts of Rome and become the first Pope to open a Holy door in a prison, something that he hopes sends a message to governments across the globe.

Now, this Jubilee year is likely to test the stamina of the 88-year- old pontiff. He is determined that the message of the jubilee should resonate across the globe. Christopher Lamb, CNN, London.

QUEST: Christmas celebrations are underway in the west bank city of Bethlehem, where worshippers gathered at the Church of the Nativity. Firm midnight Mass, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, has scaled back festivities since the Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza. In Gaza, the celebrations at the Latin Church of the Holy Family. The church has served as a shelter for the small religious minority during the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATALIE AYYAD, PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN IN GAZA (voiceover): I hope this year will bring with it goodness, hope, and it will be a better year than the one before. Though we're living a hard situation with the war. We hope this new year, which marks a new birth for Jesus, can bring with it goodness and prospects.

ABU SAEED AYYAD, PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN IN GAZA (voiceover): It was a hard year. War and air strikes. There are martyrs here who were killed inside the church. Also, the church became a place for displaced people. Each room has 12 people staying in it. Like other people, the church is like all schools filled with displaced people.

(END VIDEOTAPE) QUEST: Palestinian officials say Israeli forces have killed at least

eight people in raids in refugee camps in the West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry says two of the casualties were women. Israel's military says it killed one person that it's calling a terrorist and arrested 18 others in a counter-terrorism operation. They also claim to have seized dozens of weapons. Christmas has taken on a special meaning this year in Syria, where the country's Christian community is being able to celebrate the holiday for the first time since the fall of the longtime dictator Bashar al Assad.

There is a sense of caution as the country is being run by Islamist rebels. Interestingly, a group of men set fire to a Christmas tree in a Christian-majority town near the city of Hama on Monday night. No one has claimed responsibility, but a rebel flanked by Christian priests has promised to punish the perpetrators.

[04:10:13]

Not before the video of the tree burning sparked protests in the capital, Damascus, where demonstrators marched towards a church and they're demanding better protection for Christians in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL ASSI, SYRIAN CHRISTIAN FROM HOMS (voiceover): Whoever is saying we are a minority, we are not. We are here from the beginning. Christianity was present in Syria from the beginning. We will remain in Syria and we will live as Muslims and Christians together. We do not seek sectarianism. We do not want anyone to come near us. We will remain committed to our cross, and we do not want anyone to attack our churches. We do not want Chechen groups to attack our churches. We are Christians and we have rights like any citizen in Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Earlier, I spoke to HA Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, and we spoke about the impact of a Syrian rebel quickly stepping in soon after the Christmas tree was burned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

H.A. HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: What we have at the moment in Syria is a transitional phase. What we have in Syria is as a phase where, you know, many things can happen, which is quite different as compared to what we had under the Assad regime. And what we saw was a. A tree was burned by some. Some individuals that apparently were not Syrian, according to the new authorities. But the new authorities could have just left it, right? They didn't. They sent a representative to the community, condemned it, so that the perpetrators would be punished, which is good. I think that right now people are waiting for disaster to unfold in Syria or for everything to go along perfectly.

QUEST: Right. What do you think?

HELLYER: I think that it's likely to be more messy than that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: The sister of Austin Tice, who's been held in Syria for more than a decade, said she's hoping for a Christmas miracle. Tice is the American journalist who went missing in Syria back in 2012. U.S. Officials say the collapse of the Assad regime has presented new opportunities to gather fresh intelligence and potentially uncover Tice's whereabouts.

Speaking to us earlier, his sister says her family is especially hopeful for her brother's return this holiday season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEGAN TICE MALONE, SISTER OF AUSTIN TICE: It's been weighing so heavily on my heart, on all of us, I think to be so close for this many weeks now. You know, we really feel like this is a window of opportunity, and windows don't stay open forever. And I think just it's been such an interesting space to be in and I have two young children. They've never met Austin, you know, and having this big, heavy thing and being on the verge of our seats, just waiting any moment now. And also, you know, being in this time that, you know, creating holiday magic and trying to keep the spirit of Christmas. It's been a really challenging time this year especially.

I'm so grateful that so many of us were, you know, that were all together in D.C. when were. And I am just really still hoping and praying for a Christmas miracle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: A U.S. Official has told us that the country's leaving no stone unturned to find Mr. Tice. Former President Bill Clinton has now returned to home after being released from Georgetown University Hospital in Washington. He went into hospital. He was in for a day. He developed a fever and was admitted for testing and observation. Mr. Clinton's office said he was treated for the flu and that both he and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care he was given and the kind messages he received during his short stay.

Airstrikes threatened to overshadow carols and prayers in Ukraine as the country marks its third Christmas at war.

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[04:16:14]

QUEST: An update now on the breaking news out of Kazakhstan. The Azerbaijan Airlines flight that was going from Baku to Grozny was over the Caspian Sea when it diverted to Aktu. When it came into land, as you can see, the plane is basically going, losing control, going up and down in all sorts of fashions, suggesting control issues until it comes in to land. And it's an emergency landing that it's making. The pilot's valiantly attempting to keep control until the plane does hit the ground, which we are not showing, of course, because it's at the moment which people perished, the fireball which subsequently engulfed the aircraft.

But as video shows, we have video of the aftermath and showing the wreckage. And extraordinarily more than 20, well, 25 people survived, of which 22 are believed to be in hospital. In total, there were 67 souls on board the Azerbaijan plane. We'll have more details and when we get them, we'll bring them to you.

To Ukraine now, where Ukraine says Russia has launched aerial attacks across the country. No Christmas respite. Russia's used missiles and drones and hit residential building and civilian infrastructure. At least one person's been killed and at least six people injured.

Officials say Russia's also targeted the energy infrastructure on a massive scale, causing blackouts in several regions on Christmas morning. Ukrainians are therefore doing their best to celebrate this holiday as the war continues.

It was brave carolers, not only the war, but the cold, who sang in Kyiv outside a giant lit Christmas tree, hoping and welcoming a brighter future. And Christmas Eve services themselves. They were marred by the wails of air raid sirens as Russia launched air attacks, including a deadly missile strike in Khariva. President Zelensky has insisted that Ukrainians are not giving up hope for their country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (voiceover): This is the sound of a miracle. This is the sound of life. This is the sound of Christmas. This is our third Christmas during wartime. Our great Ukrainian family cannot fully celebrate it the way we would like to, the way it should be celebrated. Not all of us are home, unfortunately. Sadly, not everyone has a home. And tragically, not everyone is with us yet, despite all the hardships brought by the enemy, they have failed to take or destroy what matters most. Our hearts, the light within us, our faith in goodness and mercy, and the humanity that lives in each of us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Relatives of Ukrainian soldiers who have died in the war are decorating their loved ones' graves and say it's the way to still spend a sacred holiday with their beloved family members.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURI KHMILYAR, STEPMOTHER OF FALLEN SOLDIER (voiceover): On his grave, I did that myself. I made that Christmas tree, that wreath, almost all night. And in the morning I came and put it for him. I want it to beautiful for him.

MARIYA, MOTER OF FALLER SOLDIER (voiceover): It seemed like there would be no war. But there is a war, a cruel war. And our children are dying. And instead of having dinner with them at home, we come here, brinkutia Christmas donuts, and mourn our sons.

(END VIDEOTAPE) QUEST: Haitian journalists now say two reporters have been killed and

several people wounded on Tuesday when a gang members opened fire on a hospital. Now this is the chaotic scene just after the attack. The journalists are gathered at the largest public hospital in Port-au- Prince. It was set to reopen after gang violence forced its closure some time ago. Around 85 percent of the capital city is estimated to be under gang control. This is the awful part. One powerful gang coalition who took responsibility for the attack. They said they did the attack because that gang had not authorized the hospital to be reopened.

Christmas carols returned to the restored Notre Dame Cathedral. We'll hear the exclusive performance from the cathedral's choir.

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[04:22:02]

QUEST: It was a busy year of travel from continent to continent, all in the service of the corporation. It was a wonderful year. All the places that one visited. Both for Questwind's business to cover good stories and of course for the world of wonder. Pull them all together and here you have what is truly at this Christmas time. A world of wonder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Where are we?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beaufort.

QUEST: Beaufort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not Melda. Does this look like velvet to you?

QUEST: Look at these.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a palace for the people.

QUEST: Oh, wow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the governing council room.

QUEST: There won't be fiscal restraint in an election year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is why I said perhaps.

QUEST: Why is this art?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because the artist says it's art.

QUEST: I did nothing. I did nothing. You know something? AI Ow, people are saying I'm too negative. Is it excrement from Weasel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

QUEST: It's weasel-proof coffee. This is turning into a YouTube moment. I've just got to enjoy it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not supposed to make that sound.

QUEST: Looks like we're swinging. Oh, whoa. We all basically go around each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. So I have to move around you?

QUEST: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm moving around you. It's a cosmic dance.

QUEST: See you next year on a plate in a nice restaurant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People looking at you, can see you enjoy every minute of what you do. And I think that's the essence, really, of not being tired of a job.

QUEST: Richard Quest, CNN, on my way to Buckingham Palace. Drive on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: It is that time of the year. Christmas crackers. Cathy Rose's and me. How are you? You have a choice of a cheap or a very cheap.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very cheap.

QUEST: Hey. Go on, open it up. What, this? What have we got in here? Oh, for goodness sake. Here we go. There's nothing in it. We've been duped. Do another one. Can you believe it? What's happening in the world when there's nothing in these things? There's your hat. Good to see you, by the way. If you pop that on here we go, you get a gift as well. It's unbelievable. Nothing in a Christmas cracker. I say, I say. Cathy Rose, what is a ghost's favorite Christmas pudding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not know (inaudible).

QUEST: Ghoul Nog. Thank you. Have your Christmas present.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy Christmas.

QUEST: Our generosity knows no bounds. Christmas crackers. Now the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, a real Christmas cracker in its own right, as we open its doors just in time for Christmas. The 12th century landmark. More than a billion dollars of reconstruction five years after the fire. We joined Notre Dame's choir for one of their very first performances for I Saw Three Ships. I see the little ships.

[04:25:00]

QUEST: I have -- wonderful. I have a confession to make. It does help if you read the instructions. So I thought these were rather cheap crackers from John Lewis, but they're not. They're do-it-yourself crackers. Never come across this before. Apparently, you get the silly hat, you put it in there along with the joke, and you put it all in and you stuff it all in. And then you tie your own Christmas cracker with your own present. It's a DIY Christmas cracker. Sorry, John Lewis. I actually thought you were chipping me with cheap crackers.

Anyway, I'll have more in just a -- if in doubt, just pull the cracker. Enjoy yourselves. It's CNN NEWSROOM. More in a moment.

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