At least 38 people have died after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight carrying 69 passengers crashed in Kazakhstan, officials confirmed.

According to BBC, the tragedy occurred near the city of Aktau as the Embraer aircraft attempted an emergency landing early Wednesday morning.

The plane, operating as flight J2-8243, departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, at 03:55 GMT, heading to Grozny, Russia.

It was diverted due to thick fog before catching fire during its descent, according to the airline.

The crash site lies approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

Harrowing footage shows the aircraft approaching the ground at high speed with its landing gear deployed before erupting in flames upon impact.

BBC reports that an unverified video showed survivors were seen crawling from the wreckage, some visibly injured.

Among the passengers were Azerbaijani nationals and individuals from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

One grieving passenger shared her distress with the BBC’s Azerbaijani service, saying her father was aboard the plane.

While her brother, also on the flight, managed to survive and contact her, their father remains unaccounted for.

Another passenger, a mother en route to Chechnya for medical treatment with her child, is still missing.

Authorities in both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, along with the plane’s manufacturer, Embraer, have launched investigations into the cause of the disaster.

Embraer has pledged its full cooperation with the inquiries.