An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet carrying 67 people crashed in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday after veering off its scheduled route, officials said.

Kazakh authorities confirmed that 28 people survived the crash of the Embraer 190 near Aktau, an oil and gas hub located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

The flight was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital on the western Caspian shore, to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya in southern Russia.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia, where he was attending an informal summit of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders, a group of former Soviet nations. His office released a statement saying:
"A plane operating the Baku-Grozny route has crashed near Aktau. The aircraft belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines."

Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, confirmed the plane had 62 passengers and five crew members on board. It stated the aircraft "made an emergency landing" approximately three kilometers (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

The Kazakh Ministry of Transport reported the passengers included 37 Azerbaijanis, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz citizens, and 16 Russians.

Survivors and Rescue Efforts
The Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry reported extinguishing a fire that broke out following the crash.
"Preliminary information indicates that 28 survivors, including two children, have been hospitalized," the ministry said.

Around 150 emergency workers were deployed to the crash site, while Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry arranged a special flight from the capital, Astana, to send specialist doctors to treat the injured.

President Aliyev directed authorities to "promptly initiate urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster."

Local health officials earlier reported that 14 survivors had been admitted to the regional hospital, with five in intensive care.

Azerbaijan’s First Lady and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva expressed her grief over the tragedy on Instagram:
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash near Aktau. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of the victims. I wish the injured a swift recovery."

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also extended his sympathies via Telegram, stating, “I express my condolences to the relatives of the Azerbaijan Airlines passengers who lost their lives.”

Flight Radar data revealed the plane deviated from its regular route over the Caspian Sea before circling the area where it eventually crashed.

Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.