Moscow: An Azerbaijani airliner crashed near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau on Wednesday, with Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry reporting that at least 28 people have survived. More than 30 people are feared dead and four bodies have been recovered so far.
The ministry confirmed in a statement on Telegram on Wednesday that the plane had 67 people on board, including five crew members. Of those, 28 have been hospitalised. Russian news agency Interfax quoted the ministry, indicating that more survivors could still be found.
Video shows the moment when plane crashed in Kazakhstan
Mobile phone footage circulating online shows the aircraft nose diving before crashing in a fireball. Other clips reveal part of the fuselage torn away from the wings, with the remaining section of the plane lying upside down in the grass. The footage matches the plane’s colours and registration number.
The plane was initially scheduled to fly from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia’s North Caucasus.
According to a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, preliminary reports suggest the pilot diverted to Aktau after a bird strike caused an emergency on board.
