This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

Kazakhstan has observed a national day of mourning for the 12 people killed when an airliner crashed into a house shortly after takeoff from Almaty airport.

The plane, operated by the budget carrier Bek Air, was carrying 98 passengers, many of whom were able to walk away from the crash site in Kazakhstan’s biggest city without serious injury.

In the capital, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s largest flag flew 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 EU in expressing condolences to the former Soviet Central Asian republic.

Play Video ‘It was a nightmare’: survivor reacts to Kazakhstan plane crash – video

Officials say the Fokker 100’s tail hit the tarmac twice on Friday during take-off before it crashed and split in two.

According to Kazakh emergency officials, the 12 victims included the pilot. Another 47 passengers, nine of them children, were still in hospital on Saturday.

An investigation has been opened into “violation of security regulations and air transport operating rules”, but the interior ministry is still examining possible causes for the accident.

The inquiry should announce its first conclusions next month, but a dozen other Bek Air planes have been grounded in the meantime.

The airline operates nine Fokker 100 aircraft, a medium-haul model built in the Netherlands, according to the ministry of industry.

A Bek Air Fokker 100 with 116 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing at Nur-Sultan international airport in March 2016 after experiencing a landing gear problem. No one was injured.