Azerbaijan plane crash leaves 38 dead, 29 survivors

Thirty-eight people have been killed and 29 survived, after an Azerbaijani airliner carrying 67 passengers, crashed near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau.According to the Azerbaijan Airlines, the plane was enroute Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to the Russian city of Grozny, when it was diverted and attempted an emergency landing three kilometres from Aktau. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said investigations are ongoing, adding that it is too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash. He however said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course and had instructed government to initiate a commission to investigate the cause of the crash. “The commission’s task is to fully investigate the matter, examine the causes of the crash and all its details, and provide information both to me and to the Azerbaijani public.“The reasons for the crash are not yet known to us. There are various theories, but I believe it is premature to discuss them. The matter must be thoroughly investigated,” emphasised Aliyev.Meanwhile, Russia’s civil aviation authority, said that preliminary information showed that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.However, some of the images from the wreckage, showed what appeared to be bullet holes on the plane. Some of the survivors were quoted saying that they heard an explosion followed by what looked like shrapnel hitting the plane and damaging the fuselage.Mobile phone footage circulating online, showed the plane making a steep descent before it hit the ground in a fireball. Survivors are also seen dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage.