Dozens killed in Azerbaijan Airlines crash


Dozens of people have died after a passenger plane with 67 people on board crashed in Kazakhstan, local authorities said.

The country's emergency ministry said there were at least 25 survivors.

The plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, caught fire while trying to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Russia. Reports say it was diverted due to fog.

Video, confirmed by Reuters, shows the plane hurtling towards the ground at high speed with its landing gear down.

Seconds after it appears to try to land, a huge fireball erupts.

The airline said the plane “made an emergency landing” about 3 km (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

It took off from Baku at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday and crashed at around 06:28, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

The Embraer 190 plane had 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board, the transport ministry said.

On board were mostly citizens of Azerbaijan, but there were also passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Of the known 25 survivors, 22 were taken to hospital, the Emergencies Ministry said.

Unverified footage shows emergency services putting out a fire and pulling people out of the wreckage.

The government has launched an investigation into the cause of the incident. Embraer told the BBC it was “ready to assist all relevant authorities”.

The BBC has contacted Azerbaijan Airlines for comment.



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