Plane crashed near Almaty

A civil plane has crashed on the approach to Almaty airport in the area of Kyzyltu village near Almaty, Tengrinews.kz reports. According to the preliminary information, this is a business-class Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet owned by Scat airline. Kazakhstan emergency response service received a phone call report of the plane crash at 02:00 p.m. 13 experts of the State Emergency Response Team of the Emergency Situations Ministry and three vehicles left for the accident site immediately. “The tragedy happened at 01:13 p.m. today. The plane crashed near Kyzyltu village in Almaty oblast. The rescue teams of the Emergency Situations Ministry are working at the accident site. An emergency team of the Emergency Situations Ministry has been dispatched as well,” Kazakhstan President’s Central Communications Service wrote in Twitter. The plane was flying from the northern city of Kokshetau to Almaty – flight DV760 – and should have landed at 12:50 p.m. Astana time. Almaty airport says that flight has still not arrived. The accident site is located in a swamp area next to a lake. "Twenty people were on board -- five crew members and 15 passengers," the airline said in a statement quoted by the Interfax news agency. "According to preliminary information there are no survivors." But some sources insist that there were more crewmembers onboard and that the number of victims made 22 people in total. According to preliminary information bad weather and heavy fog might have been the main reason of the tragic accident.