At least 15 people dead in Kazakhstan plane crash

At least 15 people dead in Kazakhstan plane crash

At least 15 people have died and another 66 survived 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. 

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.

Emergency Situations Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan photo via AP

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.