Russian Missile May Have Caused Fatal Azerbaijan Airline Crash

TaiwanPlus News

As investigations into the fatal crash of a Russia-bound Azerbaijan Airlines flight continue, Azerbaijani and U.S. officials suspect a Russian missile hit the passenger plane. Moscow has warned against jumping to unfounded conclusions. Of the 67 people on board the flight on Christmas day, 38 were killed.

Transcript

00:00Returning home after a nightmare flight on Christmas Day, Azerbaijani survivors of the

00:08deadly plane crash near Aktau city in Kazakhstan arrived back in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku,

00:15and were met with emergency responders and medics.

00:20The Embraer 190 passenger plane was supposed to fly from Baku to Grozny in southern Russia,

00:27an area where Moscow and Kyiv are engaged in active combat.

00:32The plane was instead diverted hundreds of miles off course for an emergency landing,

00:38crashing in a ball of fire in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.

00:45There are mixed reports over what caused the crash, with Azerbaijani and U.S. officials

00:51suspecting a Russian missile hit the passenger plane, an explanation backed by some aviation

00:58experts.

00:59The analysis of the plane debris allows us to know a little more about the cause, especially

01:04the marks on the tail of the plane.

01:06We have evidence from the outside and inside that there were shrapnel that hit the plane.

01:11It's obviously an air defense missile.

01:14Sixteen of the plane's passengers were Russians, and as those who survived arrived near Moscow,

01:20the Kremlin reiterated its warning against jumping to unfounded conclusions, with investigators

01:27in Kazakhstan yet to release any results.

01:30Meanwhile, foreign governments like Brazil and Canada have sent their own officials to

01:35aid investigations, and called on Russia for an open and transparent probe.

01:41Speaking to Reuters, sources with knowledge of the case so far say Baku expects Moscow

01:47to confess to shooting down the plane, a situation that would make more countries wary

01:52of the Kremlin.

01:54And so if they aren't given some sort of assurance that these flights won't be shot down by Russian

01:59air defense systems, this could lead to disagreements between Russia and the states that not only

02:05border Russia, but have been critical in ensuring that Russia has been able to evade Western-led

02:12sanctions from its invasion of Ukraine.

02:18Celebrations here this holiday season have now been muted, as people mourn those lost

02:23on that Christmas flight.

02:25And with answers still elusive and unclear, uncertainty pervades along with grief.

02:32Hank Xu and Joyce Sun for Taiwan Plus.

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