Azerbaijani passenger plane crashes near Kazakh city of Aktau

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Azerbaijani Airlines flight 8432, traveling from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, the Kazakh Emergency Ministry said.

The aircraft caught fire following the crash, and emergency responders are working to extinguish it, the ministry said in a statement, adding that preliminary reports indicated there are survivors.

"Fifty-two personnel and 11 units of equipment from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan have been deployed. Upon arrival, the aircraft was found ablaze. Rescue operations are ongoing, and information about the victims is being clarified," the statement said.