German private jet crashes in Kazakhstan, one dead

ALMATY, Dec 26 (Reuters) - A small German-owned private jet crashed during take-off from Almaty airport on Wednesday, killing its only passenger, Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry said.

Three crew members were taken to hospital with injuries, the ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site. It did not give the nationality of the dead passenger.

The Canadair aircraft owned by the German company Jet Connection Business Flight veered off the runway, hit a wall and exploded, it said.

The plane had made a refuelling stop in the Central Asian country on its way from Hanover to Macau, the ministry added. (Reporting by Tatiana Seroshtanova; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)