Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured.
Speculation is mounting about a possible cause of the disaster, with some experts saying the airliner was damaged by Russian air defence fire.
Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny on Wednesday when it was diverted for unknown reasons and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball.
Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft lying upside down in the grass.
Russia's civil aviation authority says the preliminary information indicated that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.
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