Officials in Russia and Kazakhstan have remained tight-lipped after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday with dozens of souls aboard.
A Ukrainian national security official has blamed Russian air defense fire for the deadly crash, which killed 38 people on Christmas Day.
The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia had 62 passengers and five crew on board, according to Kazakh authorities. It had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. Twenty-nine people survived.
Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported.
St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov places flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in memory of the crash victims, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Russia’s aviation watchdog, meanwhile, said it was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Azerbaijan observed a national day of mourning on Thursday for the 38 victims of the plane crash. National flags were lowered across the country, traffic stopped at noon and signals were sounded from ships and trains as the people observed a nationwide moment of silence, the AP reported.
“We will never forget the beloved people we lost in the crash of the ‘Embraer-190’ aircraft,” Azerbaijan Airlines said in a statement Thursday. “This loss left a deep wound in the heart of an entire community. It reminds us to be more compassionate and connected to one another.”
“May the souls of those who tragically lost their lives rest in peace, and may their memory live on forever.”
Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias and Elizabeth Pritchett, along with the Associated Press contributed to this report.
