Azerbaijan passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan with dozens aboard

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A passenger plane traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, according to the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Flight J2-8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members when it was forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau.

The passenger plane was en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya but had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny, Russian news agencies reported.

The aircraft caught fire after the crash, and emergency responders swiftly arrived at the scene to extinguish the flames. 

Kazakh authorities have confirmed that 27 people survived the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight. Unverified footage of the incident showed the plane bursting into flames upon impact, with thick black smoke rising from the wreckag

The rescue operation has been mobilised with 52 personnel and 11 units of equipment deployed from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Bloodied and bruised passengers were seen emerging from a section of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Kazakhstan's emergencies ministry later reported that fire services had successfully extinguished the blaze. The survivors, including two children, were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, while recovery efforts for the deceased were underway.

According to health officials, 27 people, including three children, survived the crash and have been hospitalized. Russia’s aviation watchdog suggested that the pilot attempted an emergency landing following a bird strike.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has cut short his visit to Russia, where he was scheduled to attend a summit on Wednesday, as reported by Russia’s RIA news agency. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, extended his condolences, noting that those receiving medical treatment were in critical condition and that he, along with others, would pray for their swift recovery.

Authorities in Kazakhstan have launched an investigation into several possible causes of the crash, including a potential technical failure, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Recovery efforts are ongoing as authorities work to clarify details about the victims. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Last week, at least nine people died when a small plane crashed in Gramado, in southern Brazil, authorities said, slamming into a commercial area of the tourist city.