Dozens dead as passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan

LONDON -- At least 38 people are dead and 29 others injured after an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau Airport close to the Caspian Sea on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations told ABC News.

The aircraft was flying from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia, the Transport Ministry said in a post to its official Telegram channel. It was rerouted to Aktau in Kazakhstan due to fog in Grozny, Russian news agencies reported.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations told ABC News that the plane was carrying 69 people -- 64 passengers and five crew members. The ministry said 29 people survived the crash, with many hospitalized, including two children.

Kazakhstan’s deputy health minister told ABC News that some of those taken to hospital are in critical condition.

"The list of dead and injured is being finalized," the Ministry of Emergency Situations wrote earlier Wednesday in a Telegram post.

Preliminary reports suggest that the crash may have been caused by a bird strike leading to engine failure, which necessitated an emergency landing attempt, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, however, officials announced that a criminal case had been initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan regarding the facts of the crash.

"Currently, the investigation process is ongoing in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan. All versions are being explored in the criminal case," Farid Huseynov, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan Airlines, at the press briefing.

Among the passengers were 37 Azerbaijani citizens, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia, the Transport Ministry said in a statement, citing "preliminary data."

"The investigation team is being provided with the necessary assistance by the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan at the scene of the incident," Maj. Gen. Chingis Arinov, Kazakhstan minister of emergency situations, said.

Embraer, the aircraft manufacturer, released a statement about the crash, saying, "We are closely monitoring the situation, and we remain fully committed to supporting the relevant authorities."

Emergency response teams, including 432 workers and 79 vehicles, and 10 canine units were deployed to the crash site. Canine teams are involved in the search operations. Rescuers are working around the clock, using special equipment, the spokesperson said.

Investigations are underway, with aviation authorities from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia are collaborating to determine the exact cause of the crash, the spokesperson added.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev canceled his planned attendance of Wednesday's Commonwealth of Independent States meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, following the crash, according to a readout of a phone call between Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin published by the former's office.

"The heads of state expressed condolences to each other, to the family members and loved ones of those killed in the plane crash, among whom were citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded," the readout said.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg meeting, Putin told attendees he had dispatched a team from Russia's own Emergencies Ministry to Aktau "with medical personnel and the necessary additional equipment on board."

ABC News' Tomek Rolski, Ayesha Ali and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.