Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The Embraer E190 aircraft, operating on the Baku-Grozny route, was redirected to Makhachkala and then to Aktau due to unfavorable weather conditions at its destination.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan, 52 rescuers and 11 units of equipment were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, a fire was discovered on the plane, and efforts to extinguish the fire began. Preliminary reports indicate that there are survivors.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Health, Akmaral Alnazarova, reported that six people are in critical condition. It was later confirmed that 12 people, including one child, were taken to the Mangistau Regional Hospital with various injuries.
There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board. A total of 14 ambulance teams are working at the crash site.
The causes of the crash and the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan stated that 25 people were rescued from the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft, with 22 being taken to the hospital for medical care.
According to preliminary information from the Ministry of Transport, the passengers included 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 6 citizens of Kazakhstan, 3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan, and 16 citizens of Russia.