In Baku, flags on official buildings and embassies of foreign countries flew at half mast Thursday (26 December) as Azerbaijan observed a day of mourning following the crash of an AZAL plane which resulted in the death of 38 passengers and crew.
The plane was on a scheduled flight from Baku to Grozny, but was diverted to Kazakhstan because of bad weather. President Ilham Aliyev was informed of the crash whilst on his way to St Petersburg where he was to attend the informal CIS summit hosted by President Putin. He ordered his plan to return to Baku to lead the Azerbaijani response to the crash.
The Chairman of AZAL, Samir Rzayev, in a statement on Thursday said that the causes of the incident are being investigated and the public will be informed of the results. Rzayev said that a detailed investigation into the causes of the accident is currently underway: "The black box has been found. The decoding of the black box will be carried out in accordance with the law."
Azerbaijani media speculated about the causes of the crash, with some outlets saying that it was hit by a Chechen missile whilst approaching Grozny.
The Azerbaijani website "Haqqin Az" reported active air defence activity across the North Caucasus on Wednesday, in response to a Ukrainian drone incursion. "These circumstances increase the likelihood that the AZAL plane, on whose wings and fuselage holes of unknown origin were found, was the victim of the activation of air defense systems, which have recently strengthened the defense of Grozny" haqqin.az wrote
source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo:crashed Azal aircraft in Kazakhstan
