Many people are feared dead when an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan

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An Azerbaijan Airlines plane carrying 62 passengers and five crew members crashed during an emergency landing at an airport in Kazakhstan, and 29 survivors, including two children, were taken to hospital.

Videos on local media showed huge explosions after the plane crashed into an empty field. Footage from the scene showed passengers climbing up the tail of the fuselage being helped by emergency crews.

Those on board were from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, reported Russia’s Ria news agency, citing Kazakhstan’s transport ministry.

Local media reported that nine of those taken to hospital were in critical condition and that search and rescue operations were ongoing.

The plane, an Embraer 190, was en route to Grozny in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, but was diverted to Aktau after flying through heavy fog .

Initial media reports suggested that the plane hit a group of birds, which affected the control of the flight.

“After the collision with the birds, due to the emergency situation in the plane, its pilot decided to go to another airport and chose Aktau,” Ria reported, citing the agency Russian airline Rosaviatsia. Local media also shared unconfirmed reports of an oxygen tank exploding on board, causing several passengers to lose consciousness.

Baku has sent an official delegation to Kazakhstan to investigate the incident, Azerbaijan’s APA news agency said. The country’s president, Ilham Aliyev, left the informal meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Russia to return to Baku. He consoled the affected families.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had also sent his condolences to the Azerbaijani leader.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov offered condolences to the relatives of the deceased on social media. “We pray to the Almighty that (the survivors) recover.”

Photos on social media showed relatives gathered at Grozny airport to hear news of their loved ones.

A man at the Grozny airport said he had just received a video in which he saw his nephew survive the crash. “Of course I’m very happy,” she told Ria’s reporter.