It is “not yet known” what caused a deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan, the nation’s President has said.
On Christmas Day, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 took off carrying 67 people.
The plane never reached its intended destination of Grozny in Russia and instead made an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau - where it caught fire.
Kazakh authorities have confirmed that at least 38 passengers have died and at least one is still missing.
“The reasons for the crash are not yet known to us,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
“There are various theories but I believe it is premature to discuss them; the matter must be thoroughly investigated.”
Ильхам Алиев провел совещание в связи с авиакатастрофой. pic.twitter.com/KoD1pKZKUB
— Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) December 25, 2024
According to the BBC, Russian media are reporting that the plane might have got into trouble after flying into a flock of birds.
However, air defence experts believe the plane could have been shot down.
"It looks very much like the detonation of an air defence missile to the rear and to the left of the aircraft, if you look at the pattern of shrapnel that we see," Justin Crump of risk advisory company Sibylline told the BBC.
Most of the people onboard the flight were citizens of Azerbaijan but some were nationals of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Main image: Firefighters at the scene of the plane crash. Picture by: Ministry of Emergencies for the Republic of Kazakhstan.
