At least 12 people have died and another 49 were hospitalised with injuries after a plane crashed in Kazakhstan, officials have said.
The Bek Air aircraft had almost 100 people aboard when it lost altitude shortly after takeoff and crashed into a two-story building in Almerek, the Almaty International Airport said in a statement.
At least 22 passengers are in critical condition at hospitals in the area. At least 8 children were sent to a pediatric hospital with multiple injuries, the airport said.
Local authorities said earlier that 15 people had died, but the Interior Ministry revised the figure without an explanation, AP reported.
Russian media reported that the injuries included cerebral, hip, and lower limb injuries.
The plane took off from Almaty on route to the capital Nur-Sultan.
There was no fire, the airport specified.
Rescuers, medical services and law enforcement officers were at the scene and a government commission was created after the crash, the emergencies ministry in Kazakhstan said in a statement posted to their website.
The plane departed Almaty at 7:05 am local time before disappearing from radar.
According to Flightradar24, the plane was a Fokker 100.
#Bekair plane crashes after take off from Almaty Airport #flight2100 #Almaty #Алматы pic.twitter.com/qx9HiKbjSn
— Hamadi Aram (@H_Aram) December 27, 2019
