‘External physical, technical interference’: Azerbaijan prez to Putin on plane crash
President Vladimir Putin on Saturday also released a statement apologising for the “tragic incident” which led to 38 people dying.
Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev stated that he has told president Vladimir Putin that the Azerbaijani Airlines plane that crashed earlier this week was first hit by "external physical and technical interference" in Russian airspace, reported news agency AFP.
A statement released on Saturday by the presidency said, "President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control."
Also Read: ‘Tragic incident’: Vladimir Putin apologises to Azerbaijan leader for plane crash
The statement also mentioned that the Azeri president had "highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft's fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference."
Also Read: 'Physical, technical external interference': Azerbaijan Airlines on plane crash
Putin's apology
President Vladimir Putin on Saturday released a statement apologising for the "tragic incident". He also offered his condolences to the families of the deceased passengers and wished for the speedy recovery of the survivors.
Also Read: Russia says crashed Azerbaijan Airlines flight was diverted due to ‘Ukrainian drone attack’
"At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defence systems repelled these attacks," the Kremlin said.
Earlier, Russian intelligence had stated that the crash could have been caused by a bird strike. An investigation into the plane crash was launched soon to judge what happened to the craft after entering Russian airspace.
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed near the Aktau city in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. The flight, J2-8243, which carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, was supposed to fly from Azerbaijan's Baku to Grozny in Russia. The plane crash killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured.
