Kazakhstan Plane Crash: Survivors reached out for help through social media after jet crashed
A passenger plane carrying nearly 100 people crashed near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday after takeoff. The plane was flying to Nur-Sultan, the country’s capital formerly known as Astana.
Bek Air flight Z9-2100 from Almaty to Astana, a domestic flight within Kazakhstan operated by a Fokker 100 with reports alternately of 93 and 95 passengers on board along with 5 crew, crashed shortly after takeoff.
The plane after takeoff smashed into a nearby building leaving 14 people killed and dozens injured.
#BekAir passenger jet carrying 100 people crashes at Kazakhistan #Almaty international airport.
At least 12 killed and 49 injured.
The first moments after the crashpic.twitter.com/8NBypkGJLB
— EHA News (@eha_news) December 27, 2019
Reportedly, authorities found 35 survivors with injuries, including a baby who was pulled out alive from the wreckage of a plane after it crashed into a house.
Survivors of the crash appealed for help on social media from the wreckage of the plane, reportedly as they waited up to 20 minutes for help.
According to the media reports, passengers called emergency services and posted videos online after Bek Air flight Z2100 went down Friday morning after leaving Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city.
A survivor told news website Tengrinews she heard a “terrifying sound” before the plane started losing altitude.
“The plane was flying at a tilt. Everything was like in a movie: screaming, shouting, people crying,” she said.
The Bek Air aircraft hit a concrete fence and a two-story building after takeoff from Almaty International Airport. It lost attitude at 7:22 a.m. (0122 GMT), the airport said.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the airport said there was no fire and rescue operation got underway immediately following the crash.
According to Kazakhstan’s interior ministry, the plane had been carrying 93 passengers and five crew and said the captain was among those killed.
The ministry also said it was investigating a possible breach of flight operation and safety rules, a standard legal procedure. There was thick fog in the area at the time of the crash.
