ASTANA: Kazakhstan announced on Monday that the black boxes from the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Aktau have been sent to Brazil for analysis. The investigation commission overseeing the crash inquiry has transported the flight data recorders to the Brazilian Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) for decoding.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was en route from Baku to Grozny when it crashed approximately 3 kilometers from Aktau on the Caspian Sea coast. Kazakh authorities have confirmed that 38 of the 67 passengers on board the Embraer 190 aircraft lost their lives, while 29 survived the accident. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, with initial reports suggesting a bird strike as a potential factor.

However, further analysis and video footage from the crash site revealed significant damage to the tail section of the aircraft, fueling speculation of a possible attack. This was later corroborated by senior Azerbaijani officials, who reported that the crash was caused by a Russian missile system. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to apologize for the incident and offered his condolences.

Following the phone call, President Aliyev demanded that Moscow acknowledge its responsibility, punish those accountable, and provide compensation for the incident, citing severe damage to the plane's tail due to "weapons fire from the ground." The situation remains tense as the investigation continues to develop.