38 people have died in the Azerbaijan Airlines jet crash close to Aktau, Kazakhstan
Aktau [Kazakhstan], december 26: The number of fatalities has increased to 38 following the crash of an azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft near the city of Aktau on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera. The aircraft, carrying 62 passengers and five crew, was compelled to make an emergency landing approximately three kilometers from Aktau. "The situation is not very good; 38 are dead," stated Kazakhstan's Deputy prime minister Kanat Bozumbayev, as quoted by Russia's Interfax news agency, as reported by Al Jazeera. The Embraer 190 plane was flying from Baku, the capital of azerbaijan, to Grozny, a city in Russia's North Caucasus region. Azerbaijan's prosecutor general's office mentioned previously that 32 out of the 67 individuals on board were able to survive the crash. "We cannot provide any investigation results at this moment. All potential scenarios are being considered, and essential expert analyses are currently underway," the statement said, as reported by Al Jazeera. azerbaijan Airlines declared that it would halt all flights from Baku to the Chechnya region of russia until the investigation has been completed, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Russia's aviation regulatory agency indicated in a statement that initial findings suggested the pilots opted for an emergency landing due to a bird strike. Aktau is situated on the opposite side of the Caspian sea from azerbaijan and Russia. Early reports indicate that the plane requested to divert to an alternate airport prior to the incident because of dense fog in Grozny. Passengers included nationals from azerbaijan, russia, kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, as reported by Al Jazeera. The airline has established a hotline for the relatives of those aboard. Kazakh authorities announced that a governmental committee will look into the crash, and its members have been instructed to fly to the site to ensure that the families of the deceased and injured receive the necessary support.