An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed on Christmas Day sparking speculation that it was accidentally shot down by Russian forces. The crash happened near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors, a Kazakh official said.

A criminal investigation was under way into the passenger plane crash early on Wednesday in Kazakhstan, killing at least 38 people, Azerbaijan’s leader said.View on euronews

An international investigation has begun into how an Embraer 190 passenger jet with 67 people onboard crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people but leaving 29 survivors Azerbaijan Airlines flight J28243,

A passenger plane carrying 67 people from Azerbaijan to southern Russia crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, local authorities said.

Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the Azerbaijani Airlines plane making a steep descent before slamming into the ground in a fireball in western Kazakhstan.

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight travelling from Baku to Grozny has crashed in Kazakhstan with nearly 70 passengers onboard. Several survivors are in a critical condition. Source: Radio Liberty's Kazakhstan service;

The number of people hospitalized after the crash of the Baku —Grozny plane in Aktau has increased to 27, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan reported.

Several passenger plane crashes have occurred worldwide this year, including a Wednesday morning Azerbaijan Airlines wreck that has left dozens feared dead.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to Grozny in Russia was carrying 67 people when it crashed near Aktau early Wednesday. 25 people survived, Kazakhstan's emergencies ministry said.

An Embraer passenger jet crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people, after diverting from an area of Russia that Moscow has recently defended against Ukrainian drone attacks.

Kazakhstan's senate chairman said on Thursday that the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash was still unknown.