32 survive as Russia-bound plane crashes in Kazakhstan

KABUL (Pajhwok): A passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, with 32 passengers surviving.

The aircraft, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, according to media reports.

Kazakh authorities confirmed that 32 people survived the crash, as reported by Reuters.

Unverified video footage of the incident showed the plane bursting into flames upon impact with the ground, releasing thick black smoke as it struck the seashore. Bloodied and bruised passengers were seen stumbling away from a portion of the fuselage that remained intact.

Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry stated that fire services had extinguished the blaze. The survivors, including two children, were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Efforts to recover the bodies of the deceased were underway.

Azerbaijan Airlines confirmed that the Embraer 190 jet, flight number J2-8243, was en route from Baku to Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic in southern Russia. The plane had been forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan.

sa/ma