Airplane carrying 100 people crashes in Kazakhstan killing at least 15

A plane carrying 100 people, 95 passengers and 5 crew members, has crashed near Almaty airport, Kazakhstan, killing at least 15 and leaving around 60 injured on Friday morning.

According to Almaty aviation authorities, the plane “lost altitude after takeoff and broke through a concrete fence,” before colliding with a two-story building at approximately 7:22 a.m., local time.

Flight Z2100, a Fokker 100 aircraft operated by Kazakhstan-based carrier Bek Air, was scheduled to fly from Almaty to Nur-Sultan.

Flightradar24 provided data indicating that the plane crashed 19 seconds after takeoff, approximately 5 kilometers from the airport. 

Videos and images of the crash site near Kyzyl Tu village show the damaged plane broken into several parts, with the nose embedded in a small partially-collapsed house.

The Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee said in a statement published online that the cause and circumstances of the incident would be placed under investigation. As a precautionary measure, authorities said that all flights using the Fokker 100 aircraft would be temporarily suspended until the circumstances of the crash were made clear. 

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed condolences to the families of the victims and warned that those responsible for the crash would face “severe punishment in accordance with the law.”

He pledged to provide families of the victims with compensation.