Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev claims their plane was damaged by ground fire while flying over Russia before crashing in Kazakhstan, killing 38. He accuses some Russian circles of attempting to cover up the truth and criticizes Russia for not taking responsibility.
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed, killing 38 people, was damaged while flying over Russia 'due to shooting from the ground', the country's president has said. President Ilham Aliyev said he believed the plane, which crashed around two miles from Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, was not shot down intentionally. However, he accused some circles in Russia of wanting to cover up the truth about the nature of the crash.
The Embraer 190 passenger jet was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it changed course, flying east across the Caspian Sea. It crashed in Kazakhstan while attempting to land, killing 38 people and injuring all of the 29 survivors. In an interview with Azerbaijani television, Mr Aliyev said the plane was damaged 'from the outside' while over Russian territory and that 'electronic warfare systems' put the plane 'out of control'. He said: 'At the same time, as a result of fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged. 'The fact that the fuselage is riddled with holes indicates that the theory of the plane hitting a flock of birds, which was brought up by someone, is completely removed from the agenda.' He added: 'Unfortunately, however, some circles in Russia preferred to put forward this theory. Another regrettable and surprising moment for us was that official Russian agencies put forward theories about the explosion of some gas cylinder on board the plane. 'In other words, this clearly showed that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue, which, of course, is unbecoming of anyone.' He said the plane was hit 'by accident' and ruled out a 'deliberate act of terror'. However, he criticised Russian authorities for not taking responsibility. 'Admitting the guilt, apologising in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this - all these were measures and steps that should have been taken,' he sai
Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash Russia Kazakhstan Cover-Up
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