伦敦-哈萨克斯坦紧急情况部发言人告诉美国广播公司新闻，周三早上，阿塞拜疆航空公司一架客机在靠近里海的哈萨克斯坦阿克套机场附近坠毁，造成至少38人死亡，29人受伤。
交通部在其官方电报频道的一篇帖子中说，这架飞机是从阿塞拜疆的巴库飞往俄罗斯的格罗兹尼的。据俄罗斯新闻机构报道，由于格罗兹尼的大雾，飞机改道飞往哈萨克斯坦的阿克套。
哈萨克斯坦紧急情况部告诉ABC新闻，这架飞机载有69人- 64名乘客和5名机组人员。该部表示，事故中有29人幸存，许多人住院治疗，其中包括两名儿童。
哈萨克斯坦卫生部副部长告诉ABC新闻，一些被送往医院的人情况危急。
“死亡和受伤的名单正在最后确定，”紧急情况部周三早些时候在一份电报中写道。
紧急情况部发言人说，初步报告表明，坠机可能是由鸟击导致发动机故障引起的，这使得紧急着陆尝试成为必要。
然而，在周三的新闻发布会上，官员们宣布，阿塞拜疆总检察长办公室已经就坠机事实启动了刑事案件。
“目前，正在与哈萨克斯坦检察官办公室合作进行调查。阿塞拜疆航空公司发言人Farid Huseynov在新闻发布会上说:“在刑事案件中，所有版本都在调查之中。
交通部在一份声明中援引“初步数据”称，乘客中有37名阿塞拜疆公民，6名来自哈萨克斯坦，3名来自吉尔吉斯斯坦，16名来自俄罗斯
哈萨克斯坦紧急情况部部长Chingis Arinov少将说:“事故现场的哈萨克斯坦紧急情况部员工正在向调查小组提供必要的协助。”
飞机制造商巴西航空工业公司(Embraer)发布了一份关于坠机事件的声明，称“我们正在密切关注局势，我们仍将全力支持相关当局。”
包括432名工人、79辆汽车和10只警犬在内的应急小组被部署到坠机现场。警犬队参与了搜索行动。发言人说，救援人员正在使用特殊设备昼夜不停地工作。
发言人补充说，调查正在进行中，阿塞拜疆、哈萨克斯坦和俄罗斯的航空当局正在合作确定坠机的确切原因。
阿塞拜疆总统伊尔哈姆·阿利耶夫(Ilham Aliyev)的办公室公布了阿利耶夫与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京之间的电话记录，阿塞拜疆总统取消了他原定于周三在俄罗斯圣彼得堡出席独立国家联合体会议的计划。
“各国元首相互表示哀悼，向飞机失事中遇难者的家人和亲人表示哀悼，其中包括阿塞拜疆、俄罗斯和其他国家的公民，并祝愿伤者早日康复，”报道说。
在圣彼得堡会议上发表讲话时，普京告诉与会者，他已经从俄罗斯紧急情况部派遣了一支团队前往阿克套，“车上有医务人员和必要的额外设备。”
Dozens dead as passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan
LONDON --At least 38 people are dead and 29 others injured after an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau Airport close to the Caspian Sea on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations told ABC News.
The aircraft was flying from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia, the Transport Ministry said in a post to its official Telegram channel. It was rerouted to Aktau in Kazakhstan due to fog in Grozny, Russian news agencies reported.
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations told ABC News that the plane was carrying 69 people -- 64 passengers and five crew members. The ministry said 29 people survived the crash, with many hospitalized, including two children.
Kazakhstan’s deputy health minister told ABC News that some of those taken to hospital are in critical condition.
"The list of dead and injured is being finalized," the Ministry of Emergency Situations wrote earlier Wednesday in a Telegram post.
Preliminary reports suggest that the crash may have been caused by a bird strike leading to engine failure, which necessitated an emergency landing attempt, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, however, officials announced that a criminal case had been initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan regarding the facts of the crash.
"Currently, the investigation process is ongoing in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan. All versions are being explored in the criminal case," Farid Huseynov, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan Airlines, at the press briefing.
Among the passengers were 37 Azerbaijani citizens, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia, the Transport Ministry said in a statement, citing "preliminary data."
"The investigation team is being provided with the necessary assistance by the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan at the scene of the incident," Maj. Gen. Chingis Arinov, Kazakhstan minister of emergency situations, said.
Embraer, the aircraft manufacturer, released a statement about the crash, saying, "We are closely monitoring the situation, and we remain fully committed to supporting the relevant authorities."
Emergency response teams, including 432 workers and 79 vehicles, and 10 canine units were deployed to the crash site. Canine teams are involved in the search operations. Rescuers are working around the clock, using special equipment, the spokesperson said.
Investigations are underway, with aviation authorities from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia are collaborating to determine the exact cause of the crash, the spokesperson added.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev canceled his planned attendance of Wednesday's Commonwealth of Independent States meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, following the crash, according to a readout of a phone call between Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin published by the former's office.
"The heads of state expressed condolences to each other, to the family members and loved ones of those killed in the plane crash, among whom were citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded," the readout said.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg meeting, Putin told attendees he had dispatched a team from Russia's own Emergencies Ministry to Aktau "with medical personnel and the necessary additional equipment on board."
