Authorities in Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan have been cautious of their preliminary assessments of the airplane crash close to Aktau however native media have been much less hesitant.
Unique info obtained by Euronews from Azerbaijani authorities sources has shed new gentle on the tragic crash of the Azerbaijan Airways flight on Christmas Day, stirring appreciable debate.
The sources confirmed that an preliminary investigation has proven that the crash could have been attributable to a Russian surface-to-air missile, which was reportedly fired throughout a drone exercise incident above Grozny, the supposed vacation spot for the flight from Baku. The missile’s fragments are mentioned to have struck the plane, inflicting extreme injury.
The sources added that pilots are believed to have requested an emergency touchdown, however have been denied permission to land at any Russian airports. In consequence, they have been directed over the Caspian Sea, heading in the direction of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The airplane’s navigation system was reportedly switched off all through its flight over the ocean.
Preliminary studies on the variety of survivors and fatalities have diverse. Whereas sources recommend between 28 and 32 survivors, a minimum of 38 passengers are confirmed useless, with nearly all of survivors seated within the tail part of the plane.
What have been the preliminary interpretations of the catastrophe, nonetheless, which have been put ahead by media and officers within the three international locations involved – Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan?
The Kremlin has dismissed claims relating to the reason for the crash as speculative, urging the general public to await the conclusion of an official investigation.
Dmitry Peskov, the Russian presidential spokesman, said: “Any aviation incident should be investigated by specialised authorities. It could be untimely to entertain any hypotheses earlier than the investigation is accomplished. We should first enable the related our bodies to conduct their investigation.”
In the meantime, Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, together with Azerbaijan Airways, prompt that the crash was attributable to a fowl strike. The airplane had allegedly been diverted from Grozny to Makhachkala because of fog, earlier than being rerouted to Aktau because of to an emergency.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that the reason for the crash stays unknown, with numerous theories being attainable. In keeping with info offered to the president, the plane modified its course in the direction of Aktau because of hostile climate circumstances.
Following the report by Euronews, two Azerbaijani media shops confirmed that they’ve acquired the identical info from authorities sources, suggesting the crash could also be linked to a Russian missile.
AnewZ reported that the plane was attacked by a Russian Pantsir-S air defence system and described the incident as “unintentional”, but additionally famous that Baku expects Russia to acknowledge the missile strike and conduct a full investigation, bringing justice to these accountable.
Equally, Caliber.az additionally referenced sources inside Azerbaijan’s Cupboard of Ministers, reporting the involvement of Russian air defence programs within the incident.
And Kazakhstan is involved with Azerbaijan over the investigation into the crash however has but to obtain any official rationalization from both Azerbaijan or Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, who’s overseeing the investigation, defined: “We stay in fixed contact with Azerbaijan, however as of now, no official model has been offered by both Azerbaijan or Russia. We subsequently can not refute any theories at this stage.”
Native media outlet Orda.kz reported that based on the Mangistau regional well being division, an oxygen cylinder exploded on the plane after it collided with birds, inflicting individuals on board to lose consciousness.
The identical outlet additionally drew consideration to “shelling marks” on the surviving elements of the fuselage which have been seen in pictures after the crash. Nevertheless, Kazakh authorities have referred to this model of occasions as hypothesis, urging the general public to attend for the official investigation to be concluded.
