By bne IntelliNews Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev for what he termed a 'tragic incident', three days after an Azerbaijan Airlines plane was forced to resort to a crash-landing in Kazakhstan that engulfed most of the aircraft in a fireball and killed 38 people.

Unofficial reports indicate that 29 people survived. For comprehensive updates on political developments and global conflicts,

Wednesday after Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.View on euronews

Multiple shrapnel holes in the plane’s fuselage and its altitude at the time of incident contradict the bird theory. Azerbaijan accused Russia of hitting the passenger jet with a missile. The pilot did not decide to fly to Aktau;

The cause of the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, is still unknown. The Kremlin has so far been tight-lipped, prompting questions over its messaging.

Pilots were able to guide the doomed Flight 8432 from Russian airspace following an 'explosion' that prompted panic inside the cabin, eventually crashing the aircraft in Kazakhstan

Experts say evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan points to a possible midair explosion, not an encounter with a flock of birds.

Several aviation experts said they believe that a Russian defense system caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people on Christmas Day, according to the Associated Press. The flight was headed from Baku,

The deadly Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijani plane in Kazakhstan was likely caused by a Russian air defence system, military and aviation experts have said. It comes after sources close to Azerbaijan’s investigation into the incident said fire from a Russian Pantsir-S air-defence system was believed to be behind the devastating crash,