A tragic plane crash in Kazakhstan has claimed the lives of 38 people, including three crew members, while 29 others have been hospitalized with injuries, Bloomberg reports.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer SA 190 aircraft went down some 1.9 miles from Aktau, a city in Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, prompting a major rescue and investigation effort.
Kazakhstan’s Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed on Thursday that 38 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. Rescue teams have also retrieved the flight recorders, which are expected to be crucial in determining the cause of the accident.
The aircraft was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members on a flight from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region. The flight had reportedly been diverted to Makhachkala, Russia, due to fog before then being redirected to Aktau.
Representatives from Embraer SA, the aircraft manufacturer, and Brazil’s aviation accident investigation and prevention agency CENIPA are en route to Kazakhstan to assist with the investigation. Embraer has stated it is supporting the authorities in their efforts.
Initial reports from the Azerbaijan state news agency Azartac cited an airline representative suggesting a bird strike as a potential cause of the crash. However, this explanation has been met with skepticism by some aviation experts, who point to unconfirmed video footage of the wreckage showing damage inconsistent with a collision with birds.
Adding to the complexity of the investigation, reports in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday cited claims from Ukraine and aviation safety consultants Osprey that the aircraft may have been damaged by a Russian anti-missile system. Both Grozny and Makhachkala had previously been targets of Ukrainian drone attacks.
Azerbaijan Airlines has declined to comment on the various speculations regarding the crash’s cause, stating that a thorough investigation is currently underway. Azerbaijan Airlines President Samir Rzayev confirmed that the Embraer 190 had undergone a full technical inspection in October and had no reported technical issues.
The airline has also announced the suspension of flights to both Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation is complete.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged all parties to refrain from speculation and await the official findings of the investigation, according to Interfax.
