4 dead as Azerbaijan passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan, 29 survivors hospitalised

A passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing four people, Al Jazeera reported, citing health officials and medical workers.

29 people, including two children, survived the crash and were hospitalised, according to Azerbaijan’s Emergency Ministry, Al Jazeera reported.

Flight number J2-8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft with 62 passengers and five crew members on board, was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday about 3km (1.8 miles) from Aktau.

Al Jazeera quoted Russian news agency Interfax as saying that there may be more survivors and quoted medical workers at the scene as saying that four bodies have been recovered.

The ministry said fire services had put out the blaze. It said 150 emergency workers were at the scene.

According to preliminary reports, the plane requested landing at an alternative airport before the accident due to heavy fog in Grozny, Al Jazeera’s reported.

“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,” Al Jazeera quoted Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.

“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,” he added.

Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport, Rosaviatsiya said in a statement that preliminary information suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike.

Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate the crash and its members were ordered to fly to the site and ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed.

Al Jazeera cited Russia’s Interfax news agency and stated that Kazakhstan’s authorities were investigating the crash and are looking into possible angles that could have led to this situation.