An Azerbaijani Airlines passenger plane carrying 67 people has crashed near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau on Wednesday, authorities said.
The Kazakh Emergencies Ministry said in a post on Telegram that there “25 survivors, 22 of whom were taken to hospital.” The ministry later revised the number, saying there were 28 survivors.
Plane traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia
The plane was operated by Airlines and was en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region, Russian media reported
But the plane was re-routed due to fog in Grozny, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Other reports suggested the pilot decided to make an emergency landing following a bird strike.
Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) said the plane made an “emergency landing” near the city of Aktau.
What do we know about the crash?
The Kazakh Transport Ministry said some 62 passengers and five crew members were on board the plane, citing Azerbaijani sources.
The transport ministry said the passengers included 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhstanis and 3 people from Kyrgyzstan.
The Kazakh Emergencies Ministry said in a statement on Telegram that its teams found the aircraft on fire upon arrival at the scene.
Rescue units have extinguished the fire, the ministry said. Doctors and psychologists were also working at the scene.
Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry said a government commission had been set up to investigate what happened, adding that it would cooperate with Azerbaijan on the investigation.
More to follow…
rmt/rm (Reuters, AFP)
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