Did bird strike cause Azerbaijan plane crash in Kazakhstan

The Embraer 190 aircraft was on its way from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grozny, a Russian city in the North Caucasus.

The plane, which had 62 passengers and five crew members on board, crashed after being forced to make an emergency landing about three kilometres from Aktau.

The death toll has risen to 38, Al Jazeera reported.

Russia's aviation watchdog said in a statement that preliminary information suggested the pilots decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. Aktau is located on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan and Russia.

Preliminary reports show that the plane requested to land at an alternative airport before the accident due to heavy fog in Grozny. Passengers included citizens from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Al Jazeera reported.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said according to information he had received, the plane changed course due to poor weather, but he added the cause of the crash was unknown and must be fully investigated.

Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what had happened and its members ordered to fly to the site and ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed.

With inputs from Reuters/ANI