TThursday is an official day of mourning in Azerbaijan as investigations continue to determine what caused a plane carrying 67 passengers to crash on Christmas Day in Kazakhstan, killing 38 and leaving at least 29 alive.
Video posted by CNN shows the plane crashing, bursting with flames and black smoke.
Here’s what you need to know about the devastating accident and the latest on possible causes.
The victims
Passengers on board the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 include 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, six Kazakh citizens and three Kyrgyz citizens, according to the New York Times. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny when the accident happened. The plane crashed while trying to make an emergency landing at Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan.
Among the 29 survivors were two children.
Pictures of the debris published by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti show some passengers lying on the ground and others able to walk from the debris.
Some cellphone images show the passengers pulling each other out of the crash.
The cause of the accident
The exact cause of the accident was not yet known.
Aviation authorities in Russia initially said that a collision with a flock of birds may have played a role in the crash. There were also other reports that the plane may have encountered significant fog, and that the plane was diverted due to bad weather, but it is not yet clear whether this was a major factor in the accident, according to AP.
“The information given to me is that the plane changed its route between Baku and Grozny due to bad weather and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed on arrival,” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that they are not investigating are looking into whether the plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defense systems, based on interviews with four unnamed sources with knowledge of the preliminary results of Azerbaijan’s investigation into the crash. Almost three years into the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian air defense systems are frequently triggered by Ukrainian military drones targeting southern Russia. Russian authorities have not confirmed it, but Russian President Vladimir Putin sent emergency services to the crash site.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Thursday that “it would be wrong to make any comments before the investigation has reached its conclusion,” adding that “no one should do it.”
Azerbaijan has suspended flights between Baku and Grozney until investigators can determine the official cause of the crash.
Source link
