'External interference' might have caused plane crash in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Airlines claims
Azerbaijan Airlines said "external physical and technical interference" led to a major plane crash in Kazakhstan on Wednesday which left 38 people dead out of 67 on board, media reports said.
On Christmas, the Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, took off from Baku and was en route to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya.
The aircraft was 'denied landing due to fog' in Grozny and was diverted far off the Caspian Sea.
The flight crashed in Aktau city of Kazakhstan, killing 38 while 29 survived the crash.
A day later, military experts suggested that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane may have been "accidentally struck" by a Russian surface-to-air missile or anti aircraft fire.
An inquiry is still ongoing, but aviation experts cited in foreign media reports, including the Wall Street Journal, Euronews, and AFP, pointed to damage on the plane consistent with shrapnel from missiles.
Holes in the fuselage and marks on the tail section have been highlighted as evidence supporting this theory.
Azerbaijan Airlines initially attributed the crash to a bird strike but later withdrew the statement.
The plane’s black box has been recovered, and data from the flight and voice recorders is being examined as part of the investigation.
Following the incident, Azerbaijan Airlines announced Friday that it will suspend flights to several Russian airports, citing potential flight safety risks.
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