Dozens die in Azerbaijan Airways accident

Dozens of individuals have died after a passenger aircraft crashed with about 70 individuals on board in Kazakhstan, native officers say.

Authorities in Azerbaijan, the place the flight originated, say there have been a minimum of 30 survivors.

Azerbaijan Airways flight J2-8243 caught hearth because it tried to make an emergency touchdown close to the Kazakh metropolis of Aktau.

The aircraft was en path to Grozny in Russia however it was diverted resulting from fog, the airline advised the BBC.

Footage exhibits the plane heading in the direction of the bottom at excessive pace with its touchdown gear down, earlier than bursting into flames because it lands.

The airline mentioned the aircraft “made an emergency touchdown” about 3km (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

It took off from the Azerbaijani capital Baku at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday, and crashed round 06:28, information from flight-tracking web site Flightradar24 confirmed.

Reviews from Russian media say the plane collided with a flock of birds earlier than crashing, however this has not but been confirmed.

Officers from the nations concerned have said totally different numbers for many who have been on board and for many who survived.

The airline mentioned 62 passengers and 5 crew members have been on board the Embraer 190 however different experiences put the full at 72. The reported variety of survivors ranges from 28 to 32.

These on board have been largely Azerbaijani nationals, however there have been additionally some passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Unverified video footage confirmed survivors crawling out of the wreckage, some with seen accidents.

Each Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched investigations into the accident. Embraer advised the BBC it was “prepared to help all related authorities”.

The BBC has contacted Azerbaijan Airways for remark.

Embraer, a Brazilian producer, is a smaller rival to Boeing and Airbus, and has a powerful security file.