Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart on Saturday for what he called a “tragic incident.” An Azerbaijani airliner crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Russia’s North Caucasus region on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that are not yet fully understood.
It crashed while trying to reach another airport in Aktau, western Kazakhstan. Cell phone footage appears to show the plane making a steep descent before hitting the ground about three kilometers from Aktau airport and exploding in a fireball.
Press service of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry via AP
According to the airline, there were 67 people on board – 62 passengers and five crew members – and 38 people died in the crash. There were 29 survivors.
Putin’s call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev came after speculation grew that Russian air defenses may have accidentally shot down the plane.
In an official statement on Saturday, the Kremlin said air defense systems were fired near Grozny on Wednesday because of a Ukrainian drone strike, but did not say that one of them hit the plane.
“(President) Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said the call was made at Putin’s request.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia have each launched investigations into the cause of the crash. The Kremlin pushed for it People not to jump to conclusions. Investigators have recovered the two so-called black boxes, the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, from the crash site.
KAMILLA JUMAYEVA/AFP via Getty Images
On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister issued separate statements blaming an external weapon for the crash.
A U.S. official told CBS News there were early indications that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have hit the plane in a region where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been firing drones and missiles for months. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said if proven true it would further underscore Russia’s ruthlessness in its actions Invasion of Ukraine.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that U.S. officials have seen “some early indications that certainly point to the possibility that this jet was shot down by Russian air defense systems.”
He confirmed to reporters that the U.S. has intelligence or information indicating that possibility, but said Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are currently investigating and the U.S. will “respect that process.”
Passengers and crew members who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media they heard loud noises inside the plane as it circled over Grozny.
