The Daily Star Ireland
A passenger plane, an Embraer EMBR3.SA, en route from Azerbaijan to Russia, crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, according to Kazakh authorities. The flight had 72 individuals on board, including 67 passengers and five crew members.
Officials reported that 32 survivors have been identified, although no additional information has been provided about the remaining passengers.
Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry confirmed that the fire had been extinguished and survivors were receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital.
Azerbaijan Airlines stated that the Embraer 190 aircraft, flight number J2-8243, was traveling from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, Russia. Due to foggy conditions in Grozny, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing about 3 km from Aktau.
Russian news outlets mentioned that the plane was rerouted because of the fog in Grozny.
Kazakh authorities have begun investigating various possible causes for the crash, including technical issues, as reported by Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Following the incident, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who was in Russia for a summit, was returning home, according to Russia’s RIA news agency.
