Speaker of Kazakh Senate: Too early to draw conclusions

It's too early to draw conclusions about the nature of damage to the aircraft based on circulating photos and video materials, Maulen Ashimbayev, the speaker of Kazakhstan's Senate, said while commenting on possible causes of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau and information about the nature of damage to the external fuselage, Report informs via Tengrinews.

"The nature of these damages and causes of the catastrophe are currently unknown. A special commission is working, with representatives from special structures of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Russia involved. Our specialists are working together with representatives from these countries. Making any conclusions based on photographs is speculation and unfounded statements. Spreading such assessments now seems incorrect and unethical," said Ashimbaev during a Senate briefing while answering questions.

"Let the experts do their work," said the deputy prime minister regarding rumors about the aircraft being shot at. It's noted that the day before in Aktau, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev, who heads the interdepartmental commission, was asked during a briefing about strange holes in the aircraft and whether they could be traces of gunfire.

"An investigative-operational group has been created. I came with both forensic experts and experts from our Aviation Administration who investigate such air incidents. They will collect all evidence as part of the criminal case, conduct necessary expertise, and determine the cause of the crash... Including black box decoding and so on. And of course, we will publish it. It's premature to make statements," Bozumbayev responded.