LONDON -- An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau Airport close to the Caspian Sea on Wednesday morning, the Kazakh Transport Ministry said.

The aircraft was was flying from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia, the ministry said in a post to its official Telegram channel.

"According to preliminary information from the Azerbaijani side, there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board," the ministry said.

Among them were 37 Azerbaijani citizens, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia, the ministry said, citing "preliminary data."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.