Kazakhstan Observes Day Of Mourning After Fatal Plane Crash

Kazakhstan  has observed a national day of mourning on Saturday a day after  at least 12 people died when an airliner crashed shortly after take-off.  

The jet carrying nearly 100 passengers operated by budget carrier Bek Air  had slammed into a house, torn apart and its nose crushed on impact with a building in the country’s biggest city Almaty.

Lucky many on board survived the crash with minor  injuries but at least 12 persons were confirmed dead.

In the capital Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s largest flag was at half-mast while officials made urgent appeals for blood donations to help injured survivors.

Neighbouring Russia and China were among the countries to join the Vatican and the European Union in expressing condolences to the former Soviet Central Asian republic.

Officials say the Fokker 100 plane’s tail hit the tarmac twice on Friday during take-off before it came down and crashed into the concrete building, splitting into two.

According to Kazakh emergency authorities, the 12 dead included the pilot. Another 47 passengers out of the 98 people on board were still in hospital on Saturday. Nine of them were children, officials said.