Kazakhstan Plane Crash: At Least 60 Dead; Rescue Underway - First Visuals

A passenger plane carrying between 68-72 passengers crashed on Wednesday near Aktau in Kazakhstan. According to reports, 60 people are believed to have died in the tragedy which was caught on camera. Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said that there were survivors and were being rushed to the hospital. The plane, reportedly an Embraer E190 was carrying passengers and crew who were - citizens of Azerbaijan (37), Russia (16), Kazakhstan (6), and Kyrgyzstan (3).

Kazakhstan Plane Crash: At Least 60 Dead; Rescue Ops On - What We Know So Far

“Dozens are feared dead after a passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan,” the emergencies ministry had initially said. The authorities had further added that there were at least 27 survivors.

According to Russian news agencies the plane was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines and it was flying from Baku to Gronzy in Russia's Chechnya, but it was rerouted due to some fog in Gronzy. The airline has made no comment on the crash yet.

Soon after the crash, several videos emerged online and on social media platforms showing the horrific moment the plane crashed. Videos circulating on social media showed the aircraft plummeting to the ground before erupting into a fireball.

Rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, and authorities are investigating the cause of the incident. According to independent reports, over 150 firefighters and 45 firefighting equipment are at the crash site. While the exact cause of the plane crash is yet unknown, investigators are also probing a potential bird-strike-related incident.

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