Iran Press/Asia: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi in a statement voiced his deepest regret over the deadly incident and expressed sympathy and condolences to the government and nation of Kazakhstan, as well as the families of the victims of the tragedy.
At least 15people have died after a plane carrying 93 passengers and five crew members crashed shortly after takeoff near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday morning.
18 victims of the plane crash in Almaty suburbs are in serious condition, said Roman Sklyar, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
The plane "lost altitude after takeoff and broke through a concrete fence," before colliding with a two-story building at approximately 7:22 am, local time, according to Almaty aviation authorities.
Flight Z2100, a Fokker 100 aircraft operated by Kazakhstan-based carrier Bek Air, was scheduled to fly from Almaty, the country's largest city, to the capital Nur-Sultan.
It was only confirmed that around 66 people were taken to the hospital, with some of them being in critical condition. It remains to be seen whether the death and injury count will increase throughout the day.
The front of the broken-up fuselage rammed against a building and the rear of the plane lying in the field next to the airport.
Data provided by Flight radar24 indicated the plane crashed 19 seconds after takeoff, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) 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.
Parts of the fuselage appeared to be relatively intact, however, raising hope that many of those on board had survived the initial impact.
Emergency respondents at the scene could be seen evacuating passengers and crew members from the wreckage. There were no reports of fire following the crash.
The cause and circumstances of the incident would be placed under investigation, the country's Civil Aviation Committee said in a statement published online.
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. The Fokker 100 is a medium-sized twin-turbofan jet often used for short-haul flights.
In a tweet, Kazakh President 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." 205/209
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