The crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan is turning into a thriller as according to foreign media reports it may have been hit by anti-aircraft fire. At the same time, the Reuters agency reports that the crash occurred shortly after the drone attacks that hit southern Russia.

Videos making the rounds online show shrapnel marks on the plane’s fuselage.

The Embraer EMBR3.SA passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people while 29 of the 67 passengers were rescued.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was flying hundreds of miles from its planned route and crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea when it attempted to make an emergency landing. Initial reports were of a collision with a flock of birds, but experts said this was unlikely, according to Reuters.

Kazakh authorities did not say why the plane was forced to cross the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone attacks hit southern Russia, the news agency reported. Due to the drone activity, airports in the region have been closed and the nearest Russian airport was closed on Wednesday morning.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said that according to information received, the plane changed course due to bad weather conditions, but added that the cause of the crash is unknown and must be fully investigated.

“This is a great tragedy and has caused immense grief to the people of Azerbaijan,” he said.

Video from the moment of the crash showed the plane descending at speed before bursting into flames as it hit the ground. Footage released to the media showed passengers exiting a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Azerbaijan Air Force said the Embraer 190 jet was flying from Baku to Grozny, capital of the Chechnya region in southern Russia, but had to make an emergency landing about 3km from Aktau in Kazakhstan.

Aktau is located on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan and Russia. Aviation tracking websites saw the flight flying north on its planned route along the west coast before it went off the monitors. It then reappeared on the east coast, circling near Aktau Airport before crashing on the coast.

Authorities in two Russian regions bordering Chechnya, Ingushetia and North Ossetia, reported drone attacks on Wednesday morning.

An official at Makhachkala Airport in Russia, on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, the airport closest to where the flight disappeared, told Reuters it was closed for several hours on Wednesday morning.

Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what happened and its members have gone to the scene to ensure the families of the dead and injured get the help they need.

Kazakhstan will cooperate with Azerbaijan on the investigation, the government said. Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights from Baku to the Chechen region until the investigation is completed.