Kazakhstan crash: Dozens die in Azerbaijan Airlines accident

Dozens of people have died after a passenger plane crashed with 67 people on board in Kazakhstan, local officials say.

The country’s emergency ministry said there were at least 25 survivors.

The plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, caught fire as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Russia. Reports say it was diverted because of fog.

Video verified by Reuters news agency shows the plane heading towards the ground at high speed, with its landing gear down.

Seconds after it seems to attempt to land, a huge fireball erupts.

The airline said the plane “made an emergency landing” about 3km (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

It took off from Baku at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday, and crashed around 06:28, data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board the Embraer 190 aircraft, the transport ministry said.

Those on board were mostly Azerbaijani nationals, but there were also some passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Out of the 25 known survivors, 22 were taken to hospital, the emergency ministry said.

Unverified video footage showed emergency services putting out a fire and pulling people out of the wreckage.

The government has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. Embraer told the BBC it was “ready to assist all relevant authorities”.

The BBC has contacted Azerbaijan Airlines for comment.