Passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan: Emergencies ministry 

An passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan and initial reports suggested there were survivors, the Central Asian country’s Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said in a statement that fire services had put out the blaze and that survivors were being treated at a nearby hospital.

Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya, but had been forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau.

Russian news agencies said the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny.

More to follow.