NATO called for a formal investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
“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,” Farah Dakhlallah, NATO spokesperson, wrote in a statement on the social media 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, injuring those aboard on Wednesday, 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 currently 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.”
