Azerbaijan Airlines said in its first statement since flight J2-8243 crashed on Christmas that the incident was caused by “external interference.”
The crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny flight was caused by “physical and technical external interference,” the airline said.
The company suspended flights to several Russian cities following the crash due to safety risks.
“The bodies of passengers and crew members who lost their lives in the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Aktau, Kazakhstan, will be delivered to Azerbaijan in the near future,” the country said in a joint statement with the airline.
Of the 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board, 38 were killed and the rest were injured, many of whom are listed in critical condition.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that there were “some early indications that would…
