US 'ready' to assist authorities on Azerbaijani Airlines crash

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Thursday it is saddened by the news of an Azerbaijan Airlines accident in Kazakhstan, but was ready to assist authorities in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

"We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the Azerbaijan Airlines accident in Kazakhstan," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on X. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. We stand ready to assist authorities in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.”

An AZAL flight traveling from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the city of Grozny in the Russian Republic of Chechnya crashed 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau, located on the Caspian Sea coast, with 67 people onboard.

According to Kazakh officials, 38 people were killed in the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft, while 29 survived, as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan launched investigations into the accident.

Earlier Thursday, senior Azerbaijani officials confirmed to Anadolu that an Azerbaijan Airlines crash was caused by a Russian missile system.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on media reports claiming that the crash was an attack and urged everyone to wait until the investigation is concluded.