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An Azerbaijan Airways aircraft carrying 62 passengers and 5 crew has crashed whereas making an emergency touchdown at a Kazakhstan airport, with 29 survivors, together with two kids, taken to hospital.
Movies on native media confirmed a big explosion after the plane crashed into an empty area. Photographs from the scene confirmed passengers climbing out of the tail of the fuselage aided by emergency employees.
These aboard have been from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian state Ria information company reported, citing Kazakhstan’s transport ministry.
Native media retailers reported that 9 of these taken to hospital have been in severe situation and that search and rescue operations have been below manner.
The aircraft, an Embraer 190, was travelling to Grozny within the southern Russian republic of Chechnya from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, however was diverted to Aktau after flying into heavy fog.
Early media stories advised that the aircraft hit a flock of birds, which affected management of the plane.
“After a collision with birds, attributable to an emergency state of affairs on board the plane, its commander determined to go to an alternate airfield and Aktau was chosen,” Ria reported, citing Russia’s aviation company Rosaviatsia. Native media additionally shared unconfirmed stories of an explosion of an oxygen canister onboard, main many passengers to lose consciousness.
Baku has despatched an official delegation to Kazakhstan to analyze the incident, Azerbaijan’s APA information company mentioned. The nation’s president, Ilham Aliyev, left a casual summit of the Commonwealth of Impartial States in Russia to return to Baku. He expressed his condolences to the these affected by the crash.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin had additionally prolonged his condolences to Azerbaijan’s chief.
Chechnya’s chief Ramzan Kadyrov expressed his condolences to the family members of the deceased on social media. “We pray to the Almighty for [the survivors’] restoration.”
Photographs on social media confirmed family members gathering in Grozny airport to attend for information of their family members.
One man at Grozny airport mentioned he had simply acquired a video by which he may see his nephew had survived the crash. “After all I’m very joyful,” he instructed a Ria information reporter.
