Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens dead

The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia had 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced. As of Wednesday afternoon, those authorities said there were 38 dead and 29 injured survivors.

Russia's aviation watchdog, meanwhile, said it was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

Russian news agency Interfax reported that both pilots died in the crash, citing a preliminary assessment by emergency workers at the scene. The news agency also quoted medical workers who stated that four bodies had been recovered from the crash so far. 

The survivors have been hospitalized and include two children, the ministry told Russia's state news agency, RIA Novosti, The Associated Press reported. 

Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had been traveling to Russia, returned to Azerbaijan upon hearing news of the crash, the president's press service said. Aliyev was due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in St. Petersburg.

Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement on social media. 

"It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured," he wrote.

Aliyev also signed a decree declaring Dec. 26 a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.

In a statement, Azerbaijan Airlines said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.