Plane crash speculation: Who is really to blame?

On Wednesday, a passenger plane belonging to Azerbaijan's Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, killing 38 of 67 people on board. 29 people survived the incident, some of them were seriously injured. The crash occurred after the plane had to head to an alternative airport due to bad weather.

Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against speculation about a possible downing of the plane and stressed that an investigation was underway. He noted that it would be wrong to formulate hypotheses before completing this investigation. Kazakh Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev described these speculations as unfounded. There are allegations in Ukraine and among the Russian opposition that anti-aircraft defenses could have hit the plane during a drone attack.

Details about the crash and its consequences

The Embraer 190 aircraft was on its way from Baku to Grozny. Videos that captured the crash show the plane flying in two wide circles before impacting. A nationwide day of mourning has been declared in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev led an official delegation to Aktau to investigate the incident and expressed condolences to the victims' families. December 26 was declared a day of mourning in Azerbaijan while flags were flown at half-mast.

According to initial surveys, there were also reports of a possible bird strike. According to the Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia, this incident may have contributed significantly to the emergency on board. Azerbaijan Airlines also reported that the cause of possible damage to the aircraft's exterior remains to be clarified. However, an aviation expert believes it is more likely that an external influence, possibly a shoot-down, is responsible. The investigation into the case is being carried out by authorities from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia.

The rescue teams have now recovered the flight recorders, the evaluation of which will be used to clarify the cause of the crash. Nine injured Russian passengers were brought to Moscow on a special plane. Her condition is described as serious. An eleven-year-old girl among the inmates had German citizenship, which gave rise to further examinations by the Foreign Office in Berlin.

In addition, Azerbaijan Airlines temporarily suspended all flights between Baku and Grozny and Baku and Makhachkala until the cause of the crash is clarified. Reports about what happened and the speculation surrounding it continue to be closely monitored.