Russia warns against 'hypotheses' after Azerbaijan Airlines crash

The Russian government has cautioned against promoting "hypotheses" about the cause of the crash of a Russia-bound passenger plane that killed 38 people in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Some aviation experts suggested that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane had been hit by air defence systems over the Russian republic of Chechnya and pro-government media in Azerbaijan quote officials as saying a Russian missile was responsible.

Before it went down near the Kazakh city of Aktau, the plane was diverted across the Caspian Sea, from its destination in Chechnya to western Kazakhstan.

Twenty nine of the 67 people on board survived. Azerbaijan held a national day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash.

Chechnya has already been hit by Ukrainian drone strikes this month and authorities in neighbouring Ingushetia said the Russian region had been targeted for the first time since the war in Ukraine began.

A shopping centre was hit when a drone was shot down in nearby North Ossetia, killing one woman, reports said.

Those on board were mostly Azerbaijani nationals, but there were also some passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Video footage showed survivors crawling out of the wreckage, some with visible injuries.

The injured were taken to hospital. On Thursday, Azerbaijan's Azertac news agency said seven were in a good enough condition to fly back to Baku.

Azerbaijan Airlines told reporters that the plane had been fully serviced in October and had no technical malfunctions.

Embraer, a Brazilian manufacturer and a smaller rival to Boeing and Airbus, has a strong safety record.