38 passengers were killed on Wednesday after Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijani government sources have exclusively confirmed to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau on Wednesday.

According to the sources, the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during drone air activity above Grozny, and the shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight.

Government sources have told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan.

According to data, the plane’s GPS navigation systems were jammed throughout the flight path above the sea. (…)

  • @[email protected]English
    16•2 days ago

    The war zone is quite large, might be time for commercial plans to avoid the conflict area entirely.

    • trollercoasterEnglish
      6•2 days ago

      The chairman of the German defense committe has just been quoted recommending exactly that in a news report on the plane crash/shootdown. (source in German)

      He urged civilian airlines to avoid the entire war zone and to abstain from overflying both Ukrainian and Russian territory for the time being.