Dozens of people have lost their lives after a passenger plane carrying approximately 70 individuals crashed in Kazakhstan according to local authorities.  


Officials in Azerbaijan, where the flight originated, have reported at least 30 survivors. Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau.  


The aircraft, en route to Grozny, Russia, was diverted due to heavy fog, the airline confirmed to the A1 News.  


Video footage shows the plane descending rapidly with its landing gear extended before erupting into flames upon impact.  


The airline stated that the plane "performed an emergency landing" about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Aktau. It had departed from Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday and crashed at approximately 06:28, as shown by flight-tracking data from Flightradar24. 


Russian media outlets reported that the plane may have struck a flock of birds before the crash, though this has not been officially verified.  


Conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the number of passengers and survivors. While Azerbaijan Airlines reported that there were 62 passengers and five crew members aboard the Embraer 190, other sources suggested the total was 72. The number of survivors has been estimated between 28 and 32.  


The passengers included mostly Azerbaijani nationals, along with individuals from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.  


Drone footage captured the wreckage of the Embraer 190, which caught fire and broke apart upon landing near Aktau.