38 passengers died on Wednesday after Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed while trying to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
ADVERTISEMENTAzerbaijani government sources exclusively confirmed to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau on Wednesday.
According to sources, the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during drone aerial activity over Grozny, and the shrapnel hit passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the plane mid-flight.
Government sources told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airport despite the pilot’s requests for an emergency landing, and was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea to Aktau in Kazakhstan.
According to the data, the plane’s GPS navigation systems were stuck on the entire flight path over the sea.
Our reporters are working on this story and will update it as more information becomes available.
