Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning after 38 individuals had been killed in a aircraft crash – as footage from contained in the plane emerged.

Individuals may be heard praying as oxygen masks are lowered on board the Azerbaijan Airways’ Embraer 190, in a clip filmed by a passenger earlier than the plane went down.

The flight was en route from Azerbaijan‘s capital of Baku to the Russian metropolis of Grozny within the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for causes not but recognized.

It crashed round two miles from Aktau in Kazakhstan whereas attempting to land after flying east throughout the Caspian Sea.

Cell phone footage circulating on-line appeared to indicate the aircraft making a steep descent earlier than smashing into the bottom in a fireball.

Different footage confirmed a part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the remainder of the plane mendacity upside within the grass.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Thursday it will be improper to take a position earlier than the tip of the investigation into the reason for the crash.

Some commentators have claimed holes seen within the aircraft’s tail part might point out that it may have come below hearth from Russian air defence methods heading off a Ukrainian drone assault.

Officers in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have equally prevented touch upon a potential reason behind the crash, saying will probably be as much as investigators to find out it.

Some 38 individuals had been killed, whereas the 29 survivors, together with youngsters, had been all injured.

Nazakat Asadova, the spouse of survivor Zulfugar Asadov, mentioned: “He received up early within the morning, prayed early and left the home at nearly 6 o’clock.

“He mentioned, God prepared, at 12 to 1pm, I will be touchdown already. Then we heard on TV that the aircraft had crashed.

“Then his identify got here up on TV and on the lists. They mentioned that folks died, however Zulfugar Asadov survived.”

Nationwide flags had been lowered throughout Azerbaijan on Thursday as visitors throughout the nation stopped at midday, and indicators had been sounded from ships and trains because the nation noticed a nationwide second of silence.

Talking at a information convention on Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev mentioned it was too quickly to take a position on the explanations behind the crash, however mentioned the climate had compelled the aircraft to alter from its deliberate course.

“The knowledge supplied to me is that the aircraft modified its course between Baku and Grozny because of worsening climate circumstances and headed to Aktau airport, the place it crashed upon touchdown,” he mentioned.

Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, mentioned preliminary data indicated the pilots diverted to Aktau after a chook strike led to an emergency on board.

In response to Kazakh officers, these aboard the aircraft included 42 Azerbaijani residents, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals.