Pilots in Christmas Crash With 29 Survivors Hailed as Heroes

Incredibly, almost half of the passengers aboard Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 survived when the plane went down in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. Among the 38 killed were the two pilots, but the airline was hailing those pilots and the rest of the crew as heroes, saying they saved the lives of the 29 survivors, Business Insider reports. "The crew's valiant dedication to their duties until the last moment and their prioritization of human life have immortalized their names in history," airline president Samir Rzayev said in a statement. The pilots were attempting an emergency landing after the plane, which was bound for Russia from Azerbaijan, diverted. The reason for the diversion was unclear, with both adverse weather and a bird strike being cited as possibilities.

Meanwhile, aviation experts said it seemed likely the plane was misidentified and shot down by Russia, noting that the trouble began in an area where Russia's military air-defense system has previously shot down Ukrainian drones. Damage on the plane's tail appears to be consistent with damage from missile fragments, according to experts who spoke to the AP. The black boxes have been recovered, and officials hope information from them will help determine what happened, CNN reports. (More Azerbaijan stories.)