Twenty-seven survive after Azerbaijan Airlines flight with 67 onboard crashes in Kazakhstan
At least 27 people are believed to have survived after a passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau city on Wednesday, media reports said.
The plane, which was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew on board.
An unverified video of the incident has gone viral on social media where a flight could be seen bursting into flames after crashing to the ground.
Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement as quoted by Sputnik news agency: "A plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed at the Aktau airport. Fifty-two personnel and 11 units of equipment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan arrived in Aktau at the crash site."
"Upon arrival, the aircraft was found to be on fire. Rescue units began extinguishing the fire," the statement said.
The Ministry said in the statement: "[A total of] 27 were taken to hospital, including three children."
This video shows what happened in the minutes before the plane crash in Kazakhstan. The plane repeatedly went up and down before crashing. pic.twitter.com/dQ0H1c9R0R
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) December 25, 2024
According to Russian media reports, the survivors have been taken to hospital.
Azerbaijan Airlines said in a statement: "Additional information will be provided to the public regarding the incident."
In the statement posted on Facebook, the Airlines said flight J2-8243 was en-route from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Russia when it crashed approximately 3 km from Aktau.
The Airlines, however, said no children was flying in the plane.
In an X post, the Airlines said: "There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and 5 crew members. There were no children among the passengers, and information about the injured will be provided shortly. According to the information, there are survivors who are receiving initial medical assistance."
AZAL-ın Bakı-Qroznı reysində olan sərnişinlərin ailə üzvləri üçün qaynar xətt yaradılıb. (+994) 12 5048280, (+994) 12 5048202, (+994) 12 5048203 nömrəsi vasitəsilə əlaqə saxlaya bilərlər.
— AZAL - Azerbaijan Airlines (@azalofficial) December 25, 2024
A hotline has been set up for the family members of AZAL's Baku-Grozny flight passengers.… pic.twitter.com/GHEkvsf48i
The exact cause of the crash is still not known.
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