A passenger jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defence systems against Ukrainian attack drones.

An investigation into the deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan earlier this week came after the passenger plane experienced “physical and technical external interference,” the carrier said Friday.

A total of 38 passengers were killed, while 29 survived on Wednesday after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to Grozny crashed as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.