Emergency specialists work on the crash web site of an Azerbaijan Airways passenger jet close to the western Kazakh metropolis of Aktau on December 25, 2024. The Embraer 190 plane was alleged to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the town of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia, however as a substitute diverted far off beam throughout the Caspian Sea. It crashed on December 25, 2024 close to the town of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Issa Tazhenbayev | Afp | Getty Photos
An investigation into the lethal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan earlier this week got here after the passenger aircraft skilled “bodily and technical exterior interference,” the provider mentioned on Friday.
The Embraer 190 crashed close to the Kazakh metropolis of Aktau on Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 folks on board whereas en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, Russia.
In response to a U.S. official, early proof indicated the aircraft could have been struck by a Russian anti-aircraft system.
On Thursday, Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer on the aviation safety agency Osprey Flight Options, informed NBC Information that “the flight was seemingly shot down by a Russian air protection system.”
On the time of the incident, Russian air protection forces have been defending towards a Ukrainian military-grade weaponized drone assault that concerned Russia capturing down drones, he mentioned.
Whereas Russian officers have cautioned against speculation about what precipitated the flight to crash, on Friday, the nation’s aviation authority mentioned the state of affairs round Grozny, Chechnya, was “very sophisticated” when the aircraft was diverted to Kazakhstan the place it crashed.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority, cited the presence of “Ukrainian fight drones” round Grozny. Chechnya is near Ukraine and the ongoing war with Russia.
Rosaviatsia additionally reported that dense fog within the space of Grozny airport meant there was no visibility at an altitude of about 1,600 toes. The pilot was provided different airports, however selected to proceed to the Kazakh metropolis of Aktau after two unsuccessful makes an attempt to land in Grozny, in keeping with a press release issued by Dmitry Yadrov, head of Rosaviatsia.
On Friday, Azerbaijan Airways mentioned it had additionally suspended flights from Baku to 5 further Russian airports. This choice follows the suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, launched on Wednesday.
“The suspension will stay in impact till the completion of the ultimate investigation,” in keeping with a press release posted on the airline’s Telegram channel on Friday.
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