No fewer than 29 persons have reportedly been rescued while dozens are feared dead after an Azerbaijan plane crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, authorities said.
The plane which had 67 persons on board burst into flames after the crash, as rescue workers intensified efforts to find more persons.
According to the carrier, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was travelling from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya before it made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) from Aktau.
Among the 29 survivors were two children who had been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities also said.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said that rescue teams arrived at the scene to find the aircraft engulfed in flames, but swiftly extinguished it upon their arrival.
Video footage of the crash showed the plane circling erratically before hitting the ground and bursting into flames. Bloodied passengers could be seen emerging from the wreckage shortly after.
Preliminary findings from Russia’s aviation watchdog indicate that the pilot attempted an emergency landing following a bird strike.
According to Kazakhstan’s transport ministry, the flight had 62 passengers and five crew members. Initial data collected showed that they included 37 Azerbaijani citizens, six Kazakh nationals, three Kyrgyz nationals, and 16 Russians.
The Kazakhstan government in a statement said they have established a commission to investigate the crash.
“The Commission was instructed to immediately fly to the scene of the accident, ensure a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the crash, and take measures to provide priority assistance to the families of the dead and injured,” the country said.
Kazakhstan also confirmed plans to cooperate with Azerbaijan during the investigation.