Passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan with many on board

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan, close to the Caspian Sea, on Wednesday morning, according to Kazakh authorities. Dozens are feared dead.

The aircraft was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, but was diverted to Aktau due to heavy fog in Grozny, as reported by Russian news agencies.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the plane was carrying 69 people—64 passengers and five crew members. Of these, 29 survived, many of whom were hospitalized.

Two children were among the injured, the ministry noted in a Telegram post. Kazakhstan’s deputy health minister stated that several of those hospitalized are in critical condition.

Authorities have not yet provided an exact death toll. "The list of dead and injured is being finalized," the Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a Telegram update. Investigators are examining potential causes, including a reported bird strike, mechanical failure, and the decision to reroute due to adverse weather, according to Kazakh aviation officials.

The passengers included 37 Azerbaijani citizens, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz nationals, and 16 Russians, based on preliminary data from the Transport Ministry.

Azerbaijan Airlines stated on X (formerly Twitter) that the plane, an Embraer 190 with flight number J2-8243, "made an emergency landing" approximately two miles from Aktau.

In response to the tragedy, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev canceled his planned participation in the Commonwealth of Independent States meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia. A readout of a phone call between Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin detailed mutual condolences to the victims' families and wishes for the injured to recover swiftly.

At the St. Petersburg meeting, Putin announced that Russia had dispatched a team from its Emergencies Ministry to Aktau, equipped with medical personnel and additional resources.