A build-up of ice may have caused a passenger plane crash in Kazakhstan last month in which 12 died but dozens survive, a state commission said on Friday.
The plane, operated by budget carrier Bek Air, was torn apart and its nose crushed on impact with a two-storey building minutes after taking off from Almaty on December 27.
Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said on Friday that the plane's wings had not been de-iced, causing a build-up that the commission had identified as the most likely cause of the crash.
"Work on treating this aircraft with anti-icing fluid was carried out only partly," said Sklyar, who is in charge of the state commission.
"The aircraft commander decided to treat only the stabiliser with anti-icing fluid -- the wings of the aircraft were not processed."
The plane was carrying almost 100 passengers when it crashed -- most survived without being seriously hurt. Some 21 people were still being treated for their injuries on Friday.
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Witnesses spoke of the terrified screams of passengers as the plane, which was en route to the capital Nur-Sultan, came down on the edge of former capital Almaty.
Officials ordered all Bek Air planes to be grounded following the crash.
In March 2016, another Bek Air jet with 116 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing due to a landing gear problem, without causing injuries.
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