In Kazakhstan, several people are feared dead after a passenger plane crashed today with about 70 people on board. Authorities in Azerbaijan, where the flight originated, say there were at least 30 survivors. Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 caught fire as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The plane was en route to Grozny in Russia, but it was diverted due to fog, the airline told the BBC. Footage shows the aircraft heading towards the ground at high speed with its landing gear down before bursting into flames as it landed. Reports from Russian media say the aircraft collided with a flock of birds before crashing, but this has not yet been confirmed.
The airline said 62 passengers and 5 crew members were on board, but other reports put the total at 72. The reported number of survivors ranges from 28 to 32. Those on board were mostly Azerbaijani nationals, but there were also some passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and KyKyrgyzstan. th Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched investigations into the accident.
