Photo: Reuters
One of the passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan told Reuters about the events that took place on board before the tragedy.
Eyewitness testimony
Subkhonkul Rakhimov, who survived the plane crash, recalls hearing a loud bang before he fell.
“I thought the plane was going to crash. I started saying prayers and preparing to die,” Rakhimov said from the hospital.
According to him, after the impact, the aircraft began to behave strangely, as if it were “drunk”.
“It was a completely different plane, like a drunk,” the passenger added.
Preliminary findings of the investigation
Four sources familiar with the preliminary investigation told Reuters that Russia’s air defence system may have shot down the plane by mistake.
More information is planned to be obtained from the black boxes found at the crash site. The Azerbaijani authorities have also invited representatives of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer to participate in the investigation, who are due to arrive in Kazakhstan on Friday.
Russia’s position
Russia’s Rosaviatsiya said the plane was diverted due to thick fog and local concerns about possible Ukrainian drone activity.
“The captain was offered other options for landing, but he decided to fly to Aktau,” the agency said.
Russia stressed the need to complete the investigation to establish the causes of the tragedy.
What’s next?
On Friday, the Kazakh authorities are planning to start reconstructing the events that led to the crash. The results of the international investigation are expected to shed light on the circumstances of the tragedy that claimed the lives of 38 people.
The preliminary data adds to the tension between Azerbaijan and Russia, given reports of possible Russian air defence involvement in the crash.
