Passenger plane with 100 onboard crashes in Kazakhastan

At least 14 people have died after a plane carrying 95 passengers and five crew members crashed shortly after takeoff near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday morning.

The plane “lost altitude after takeoff and broke through a concrete fence,” before colliding with a two-story building at approximately 7:22 a.m., local time, according to Almaty aviation authorities.

Flight Z2100, a Fokker 100 aircraft operated by Kazakhstan-based carrier Bek Air, was scheduled to fly from Almaty, the country’s largest city, to the capital Nur-Sultan.

Kazakh state media, citing the Internal Affairs Ministry, said at least 14 people had been killed in the crash, and nine people, including six children, had been injured and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Data provided by Flightradar24 indicated the plane crashed 19 seconds after takeoff, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the airport. Videos and images of the crash site near Kyzyl Tu village show the damaged plane broken into several parts, with the nose embedded in a small partially-collapsed house.

Parts of the fuselage appeared to be relatively intact, however, raising hope that many of those on board had survived the initial impact.

Emergency responders at the scene could be seen evacuating passengers and crew members from the wreckage. There were no reports of a fire following the crash.

The cause and circumstances of the incident would be placed under investigation, the country’s Civil Aviation Committee said. As a precautionary measure, authorities said that all Fokker 100 flights would be temporarily suspended until the circumstances of the crash were made clear. The Fokker 100 is a medium sized twin-turbofan jet often used for short haul flights.

In a statement published online, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed condolences to the families of the victims and warned that those responsible for the crash would face “severe punishment in accordance with the law.”

Source: CNN