Azerbaijan's president says plane was hit over Russia in unintentional incident

BAKU — Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that the Azerbaijan Airlines or AZAL civilian aircraft, which crash-landed near Aktau of Kazakhstan last week, was hit over Russia, though the incident was unintentional.

The Embraer 190 aircraft, Flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau city on Wednesday, with 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Thirty-eight people were killed and 29 were rescued.

In an interview with Azerbaijan Television, Aliyev revealed that the jet sustained external damage over Russian territory near Grozny, with electronic warfare systems destabilizing its controls and a ground fire severely damaging the plane.

Evidence of shrapnel and bullet holes in the fuselage clearly indicated the plane had been attacked, Aliyev said.

"We do not believe this was deliberate, but it is critical that Russia acknowledges responsibility," Aliyev said, noting that Azerbaijan has demanded an apology, accountability and compensation.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the "tragic incident" in Russian airspace during a phone call with Aliyev.

He said that an investigation into the crash was ongoing, and that "the final version will be known after the black boxes are opened".

Russia's state-owned TASS news agency quoted Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry as saying authorities would send the two black box flight recorders to Brazil, where the passenger jet was manufactured.

In the interview, Aliyev added that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching Grozny.

The pilots, who died in the crash, have been lauded in Azerbaijan for a landing that allowed 29 people to survive.

Azerbaijan paid tribute on Sunday to the pilots and passengers of the plane.

Captain Igor Kshnyakin and co-pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, and Hokuma Aliyeva, a flight attendant, were given full honors at a ceremony in central Baku attended by Aliyev and his wife Mehriban.

"The pilots were experienced and knew they would not survive this crash landing," Aliyev said, praising them for sacrificing themselves. Aliyev awarded the crew members with the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan.

Xinhua - Agencies