What we know about the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
A Russian-bound Azerbaijani aircraft crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 onboard. Experts suggest shrapnel damage indicates a possible accidental shootdown by Russian air defence. Authorities have urged caution against speculation until the investigation concludes.
The official cause of the crash of a Russia-bound Azerbaijani plane in Kazakhstan on Wednesday that killed 38 of the 67 people on board is still unknown.
But, pointing to apparent shrapnel damage on the wreckage, experts have said the plane could have been accidentally shot down by Russian air defence.
Russian and Kazakh authorities have warned against "hypotheses" and "speculation" on causes, calling for patience until the investigation is concluded.
Here is what we know about the crash:
Air defence
Military and aviation experts have said the Embraer 190 could have been shot down by Russian air defence.
The plane's scheduled route was from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Chechnya, where Ukrainian drone attacks have been reported in recent weeks.
Drone attacks were reported earlier on Wednesday in Ingushetia and North Ossetia -- two republics near Chechnya also located in southern Russia.
"The traces seen on the plane suggest that it is quite probable" that it was shot down by a missile, Jean-Paul Troadec, a former director of France's BEA air accident investigation agency, told AFP.
Russian military expert Yury Podolyaka said holes seen in the wreckage of the plane were similar to the damage caused by an "anti-aircraft missile system".
"Everything points to that," he wrote.
That crash killed 298 people.
(AFP)
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