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Dozens are feared dead after a passenger plane crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, the country’s health ministry has said.
The Embraer 190 aircraft, intended for Russia, had at least 67 passengers and five crew members on board, Kazakh authorities announced, confirming that 12 people survived.
Unverified video footage of the crash showed the plane bursting into flames as it hit the ground, with thick black smoke rising afterwards.
The fire services extinguished the blaze, and survivors are being treated at a nearby hospital, the country’s emergencies ministry said in a statement. “Information about casualties is currently being clarified but, according to preliminary information, there are survivors,” the emergency ministry said.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia‘s Chechnya, but had been forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3km from the Kazakh city of Aktau.
Earlier the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny, reported Russian news agencies.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said they are investigating the incident and looking into different angles including technical problem, Russia‘s Interfax news agency reported.
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