GUWAHATI, Dec 25: Preliminary investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan suggests that the plane was shot down by Russia’s air defence systems, reports by several media outlets have said.
38 people were killed while 29 others were injured after the Chechnya-bound Azerbaian Airlines plane crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday (Dec 25).
News agency Reuters, citing a source as saying, reported that the aircraft was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S battery after having its communications paralysed by electronic warfare systems on its approach to Grozny.
The firing on the plane was not believed to be intentional, Reuters further stated in its report while quoting the source as saying.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency initially said that the plane had been forced to make an emergency landing after striking a flock of birds while reports of foul play emerged after damage to the plane’s tail was noticed.