Several passenger plane crashes have occurred worldwide this year, including a Wednesday morning Azerbaijan Airlines wreck that has left dozens feared dead.

An Embraer passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people and injuring 29, Kazakh authorities said. Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea near the city of Aktau after what Russia's aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.