Breaking: Many feared dead as plane crashes on Christmas

A passenger plane carrying 67 people from Azerbaijan to southern Russia crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, Christmas Day.

According to CNN, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the development, saying its teams found the aircraft on fire upon arrival at the scene.

“Rescue units began extinguishing the fire. Currently, information about the victims is being clarified, and according to preliminary information, there are survivors,” the ministry said.

It was gathered that there were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board.

Also, Azerbaijan Airlines said flight J2-8243 – using an Embraer 190 aircraft from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya – made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau.

“Additional information regarding the incident will be provided to the public,” the airline added.