A passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, according to Kazakh authorities. At least 32 people were reported to have survived the crash.
At least 29 survivors, including two children believed to be among them, were being treated at a nearby hospital.
A preliminary assessment indicated that both pilots had died in the crash, Russian news agency Interfax reported. Citing medical personnel, the news agency stated that four bodies had been found, according to The Guardian, as reported by RKS.NEWS.
An unverified video of the crash, which occurred on Wednesday, showed the airplane erupting in flames as it hit the ground, followed by dense black smoke rising from the wreckage. Bloodied and bruised passengers were seen struggling to escape from a part of the plane that had remained intact.
More than 50 rescue teams had arrived at the crash site and managed to extinguish the fire. Kazakh officials later stated that over 150 emergency workers were on the scene, and the Ministry of Health reported that a flight from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, was being dispatched with specialist doctors to treat the injured.
“A plane on the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines,” said Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport on Telegram.
Russian news agencies reported that the plane had been traveling from Baku to Grozny in Chechnya but was diverted due to fog in Grozny.
