In brief
Six survivors have been reported, with multiple injured as investigations commence.
On Wednesday, a passenger jet carrying 62 passengers and five crew members crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Early reports from the nation’s health care minister indicate that at least six individuals survived the harrowing incident, as stated by Russian news sources. The RIA state news agency has also reported that 25 individuals were hospitalized, with five suffering from serious injuries.The aircraft, an Embraer-190, was operated by Azerbaijan's Azal airlines and was en route from Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan located on the Caspian Sea, to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya republic. However, due to dense fog in Grozny, the airplane was rerouted to Kazakhstan for safety reasons. The airline has characterized the event as an “emergency landing,” occurring approximately 1.8 miles from the city of Aktau.In response to the crash, Kazakhstan's emergency situations ministry initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Firefighters and other emergency personnel were promptly dispatched to the scene to assist in rescue operations. As the investigation is ongoing, further details regarding the crash and the condition of the survivors may emerge in the coming days.Ivan Nechepurenko, embedded in Moscow, reports on vital developments concerning Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the regions surrounding the Caucasus and Central Asia.