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Kazakhstan plane crash: A passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines on way from Baku to Grozny in Russia has crashed in the Caspian Sea city of Aktau in Kazakhstan during an emergency landing. As many as 67 persons, including five crew members, were onboard the passenger plane when it crashed in Kazakhstan. Death toll rises to 38 in Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Kazakhstan's Aktau.
The death toll has risen to 38 after an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau city on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, 29 others survived. The injured were taken to the nearest hospital.
Reuters reported that Azerbaijan Airlines is suspending all its flights from Baku to Russia's Chechnya region until an investigation into a fatal crash involving one of its planes is finished. Russia's state TASS news agency cited the companyon Wednesday.
10:48 pm: Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said, "The situation is not very good, 38 dead," Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
9:57 pm: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, “The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing,” reported AP.
Over the reason behind the crash, Azerbaijani President said it was too soon to speculate but noted that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.
8:35 pm: An official delegation comprising Azerbaijan's emergency situations minister, the country's deputy general prosecutor, and the vice president of Azerbaijan Airlines had been dispatched to Aktau to conduct an “on-site investigation,” Azerbaijan's state news agency, Azertac, said.
8:11 pm: As investigation into the fatal crash continues, Azerbaijan Airlines announced that it will be suspending all its flights from Baku to Russia's Chechnya region until the probe is finished, Russia's state TASS news agency reported.
7:20 pm: According to Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office' latest report, at least 32 people survived the plane crash while over 30 people are feared dead. Some of the survivors are in critical condition, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry in a statement said, reported AP.
5:55 pm: An official from Russia's Makhachkala airport said it had been closed to incoming traffic for several hours on Wednesday morning, Reuters reported. This airport was the closest to the site where the flight disappeared from tracking.
4:53 pm: According to Russian news agency Interfax, ministry sources said there may be more survivors as four bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. A video clip of the plane, moments before the crash shows the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. One of the photos show a part of its tail ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft, lying upside on the ground.
4:15 pm: Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said the pilot had chosen to divert to Aktau after a bird strike on the aircraft. According to preliminary investigation, “an emergency situation on board” followed after the pilot decided to divert the plane, reported AP.
15:40 pm: Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry has revised the death toll the plane crash. Initially, it announced that 25 people survived the crash, later the number of survivors was revised to 27 and then to 28 as the search and rescue operation continued, reported AP.
15:15 pm: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, over the fatalities in the incident.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, ""Unfortunately, Azerbaijan's President Aliyev was forced to leave St Petersburg (where he had a summit). Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Azerbaijani plane in Aktau," Reuters reported.
He added, “We deeply sympathise with those who lost their relatives and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to all those who managed to survive.”
14:15 pm: Kazakhstan has said that so far, only 25 people have survived the passenger crash crash. As many as 67 people, including the five crew members, were onboard the Azerbaijan Airlines.
14:00 pm: The flight was scheduled between Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and Grozny in southern Russia, according to the transportation ministry.
13:40 pm: Azerbaijan Airlines, the country's flag carrier, said the Embraer 190 had “made an emergency landing” around three kilometres from Aktau before crashing into the territory.
“A plane doing the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines,” the Kazakh transport ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
13:30 pm: Reports of casualties have not been surfaced so far but many people are feared dead in the passenger plane crash. Videos capturing the moment a plane crashed in Kazakhstan have surfaced on social media. The footage shows the plane nosediving to the ground before bursting into flames.
The Kazakh transport ministry said there were 62 passengers and five crew members on the plane. Kazakhstan emergency situations ministry said its personnel have rushed to the passenger plane crash site and were putting out the fire.
Speaking of possible casualties, the ministry said, “Information about casualties is currently being clarified but, according to preliminary information, there are survivors.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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