A passenger plane traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, leaving at least 14 people hospitalized, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry.
The incident occurred earlier today and involved an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 aircraft, flight number J2-8243.
Local health officials confirmed that the 14 survivors were transported to the regional hospital, with five individuals in critical condition and admitted to intensive care. The Kazakh Emergencies Ministry said that fire services had successfully extinguished the blaze that resulted from the crash.
The flight, originating from Baku, Azerbaijan, was en route to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya region. However, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing some 1.8 miles outside of Aktau.
According to Azerbaijan Airlines, the plane was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members when the crash occurred.
Preliminary information suggests the flight may have requested an alternate landing location due to heavy fog in Grozny.
Kazakh authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. The investigation will consider various factors, including possible technical malfunctions, reported Russia’s Interfax news agency.
The crash has prompted concern and a full response from emergency and health services in the region.
