Jet crashes into building, 15 passengers confirmed dead
AT LEAST 15 people have died after a passenger jet carrying about 100 people from Almaty, in Kazakhstan, crashed just after take-off on Friday morning, news agency Kazinform reports.
The Fokker 100 aircraft operated by Kazakh airline Bek Air broke through a concrete wall before hitting a twostorey residential building.
Pictures showed ambulances arriving in the snowy area. Rescue teams were trying to retrieve those left inside the severely damaged plane.
Paramedics said many passengers had suffered severe head injuries.
Kazakh authorities published a list showing 93 passengers on board, including eight children, and five crew members.
Some 30 people were injured, with 17 believed to be in critical condition, officials said. More than 60 people survived, according to the airport where the crash happened.
Russian news agency TASS reports that nobody was inside the building the plane collided with.
The aircraft was flying from Almaty to Nursultan, Kazakhstan’s capital city.
Kazakh President Kassym-jomart Tokayev took to Twitter to express his condolences and said he had formed a government commission and that all those responsible would be severely punished in accordance with the law.
Saturday would be a day of national mourning, Tokayev said, according to Kazinform.