As updates continue to come in, there are conflicting reports of the death toll of the Azerbaijan Airlines crash.
The deputy prime minister of Kazakhstan state 38 people were killed in the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan.
“The situation is not very good, 38 dead,” said Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozubayev, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Azerbaijani authorities earlier reported that there were 32 survivors of the plane crash, which would have meant 35 dead.
The official cause of the crash is still unknown.
The crash followed a reported emergency landing attempt near Aktau. Russia’s aviation watchdog alleged the crash was caused by a bird strike. Notably, the aircraft veered significantly off its scheduled route, crossing the Caspian Sea before the accident.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a press conference shortly after the crash: “The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing,” he said.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have both announced they have launched investigations into the crash.
This is a developing story.
