Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan

*WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES* An Azerbaijan Airlines plane bursts into flames as it crashes into the ground with injured passengers seen stumbling from an intact piece of the fuselage.

The plane crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25 killing 38, with 29 survivors being treated at a local hospital.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea, after what Russia's aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike. But an aviation expert suggested that cause seemed unlikely.

Officials did not immediately explain why it had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane's flight path was closed that morning.

#Reuters #news #Kazakhstan #AzerbaijanAirlines #CaspianSea #emergency #rescue #crash #aviation

👉 Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/reuterssubscribe

Keep up with the latest news from around the world: https://www.reuters.com/
Follow Reuters on Facebook:   / reuters  
Follow Reuters on Twitter:   / reuters  
Follow Reuters on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reuters/?hl=en