Azerbaijan Plane Crash: What We Know About Aircraft Tragedy In Kazakhstan

The horrific crash of an Azerbaijan Plane in Kazakhstan, which resulted in the death of at least 38 people and injuries to 29 others, has taken a new turn after the Russian President, Vladimir Putin , apologised for the incident. Putin, on Saturday, called and apologised to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev over the devastating plane crash incident after the Kremlin confessed that Russia’s air defence systems mistakenly hit the plane leading to the tragic incident.

The Kremlin said that its air defence systems were firing near Grozny due to a Ukrainian drone strike, but stopped short of saying one of these hit the plane. Notably, the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 was flying from Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while making an attempt to land when it was diverted and crashed while trying to land in Kazakhstan’s Aktau.

The crash took place on Wednesday when the flight was in Russian airspace, prompting Putin to apologise to Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident”. Earlier, an official of the United States and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon.

Here's a breakdown of what happened:

Reports suggested that the plane took off from Baku and was headed to Grozny, but was diverted due to unknown reasons. It crashed near the coast of Kazakhstan’s Aktau, after flying east across the Caspian Sea. A video clip shows the plane making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding.

Azerbaijan's Response

Following the incident, Azerbaijan observed a nationwide day of mourning, with flags at half-staff and traffic-stopping at noon. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stated that the diversion of the flight was due to weather conditions.

The officials of Azerbaijan initiated an investigation into the crash, when some experts pointed to Russian air defence systems, calling it a possible cause behind the plane’s crash. Further, during the examination, holes were detected in the plane's tail section suggesting it may have been hit by a surface-to-air missile.

Russian Involvement

Meanwhile, Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, earlier, cited a bird strike as the reason for the diversion. However, some experts believe the plane was hit by a Russian Pantsyr-S1 air defence system. Amidst floating speculations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised against making comments and calculations before the investigation concludes.

Multiple authorities including those from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Russia, initiated a probe to ascertain the real cause of the incident.  authorities. Embraer has offered assistance to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin's statement regarding a plane mistakenly hit by Russia’s air defence system has very much clarified several theories regarding the crash. This was followed by Russian President Putin calling his counterpart in Azerbaijan and apologising for the incident.