Passenger airliner crashes in ex-Soviet country (VIDEO)

The plane was reportedly en route from Azerbaijan to Russia when it went down near the Kazakh city of Aktau

A passenger plane has crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, according to local media, which has released a video of the incident. The number of casualties is still unclear.

According to Tengrinews.kz, the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to the city of Grozny in southern Russia. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 listed the plane as an Embraer E190AR, which typically seats between 96 and 114 passengers.

Local media published a video showing the jet descending at a relatively sharp angle, and seconds later hitting the ground in a fireball. Tengrinews.kz said the plane sent an emergency signal before going down.

The Azerbaijani outlet AZAL said, citing preliminary reports, that the crash was caused by a bird strike. Business daily RBK reported, citing officials, that the Grozny airport was unable to accept the plane due to thick fog and redirected it to the nearby city of Makhachkala.

Kazakh Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova has said that at least six people survived the crash, and that all necessary medical personnel have been dispatched.

According to the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations, more than 50 first responders are working at the scene.

The Kazakhstani Transport Ministry, citing preliminary data shared by Azerbaijani authorities, said there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. It later specified that there were 37 Azerbaijani, 16 Russian, six Kazakh and three Kyrgyz citizens inside the plane.