Kazakhstan suspends all Bek Air flights after deadly crash

Reuters: A passenger plane carrying nearly 100 people crashed near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday (December 27) after take off, slamming into a house in an accident that killed 12 people and injured dozens. The Fokker 100 aircraft, operated by Bek Air, got into trouble shortly after departing from Almaty, the Central Asian country's commercial center, on a pre-dawn flight en route to the capital Nur-Sultan. It lost altitude during takeoff and broke through a concrete fence before hitting the two-storey building, Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Committee said. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. Almaty heathcare authorities said 66 people were taken to hospital, some of them in a serious condition. The plane had been carrying 93 passengers and five crew, and Kazakhstan's interior ministry said the captain was among those killed. The ministry said it was investigating a possible breach of flight operation and safety rules, a standard legal procedure. There was thick fog in the area at the time of the crash. Kazakhstan's aviation committee said it was suspending all flights by carrier Bek Air and those of Fokker 100 aircraft pending the results of the investigation.