NATO called for a formal investigation Thursday into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people in Kazakhstan.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of #AzerbaijanAirlines flight #J28243. We wish those injured in the crash a speedy recovery and call for a full investigation,” wrote NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah in a statement on the social platform X.
The flight was transporting passengers from Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku to Grozny in Russia when it crashed and caught on fire after an oxygen cylinder exploded Wednesday, injuring those aboard, according to Kazakhstani media reports.
Crew members reportedly lost signal in an area where Russia has frequently activated air defense systems against Ukrainian drones. Some, including flight tracking service Flightradar24, said pilots were subject to GPS jamming and spoofing near Grozny.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport is investigating the plane crash amid Russia’s claims that a bird caused the fatal accident and is urging people not to formulate hypotheses about the incident.
“It would be wrong to build any hypotheses before the panel of inquiry presents its conclusions,” a Kremlin spokesperson said. “Of course, we cannot do that. No one should do it.”
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