Passenger plane with nearly 67 people onboard crashes in Kazakhstan

The plane was en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya. However, it was rerouted due to heavy fog in Grozny

An Embraer passenger plane (EMBR3.SA), operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday while en route from Azerbaijan to Russia. The crash has killed 38 people while 29 survivors received hospital treatment, Kazakh authorities said.

 

Unverified footage of the crash depicted the aircraft engulfed in flames upon impact on the seashore, followed by plumes of thick black smoke. Some bloodied and injured passengers were seen emerging from a portion of the fuselage that remained intact. 

In a statement, Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, flight J2-8243, was flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechnya, when it was compelled to make an emergency landing about 3 km (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau. Russian news agencies said the plane had been rerouted because of fog in Grozny. 

 

Kazakhstan authorities have opened an inquiry into several possible causes, including a technical malfunction, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

 

Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said emergency services were trying to put out a fire at the crash site.

 

In a statement, Russia's aviation watchdog said that initial reports suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike.

 

     

   Alleged footage of the incident has emerged on social media, showing an aircraft plummeting to the ground and erupting into a fireball.

 

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