Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the President of Azerbaijan for the crash of the civilian airliner that killed 38 people, the Kremlin said Saturday.

Early indications’ suggest Russia shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, the White House said on Friday.

Azerbaijani intelligence has blamed Russia for the crash, with Euronews reporting on intelligence from anonymous Azerbaijani government sources that said the plane was not given permission to land in Russia despite requesting an emergency landing.

The White House said preliminary evidence suggests that Russia ‘s defense systems shot down a commercial flight originating in Azerbaijan .

The people on board were nationals from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said the aircraft was directed to Aktau "due to an emergency landing ...

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight to the southern Russian town of Mineralnie Vody turned back to Baku on Friday after being told a chunk of airspace in southern Russia had been closed, Russia's TASS news agency reported.

Moscow on Thursday warned against speculation that Russian air defenses may have caused the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan this week that killed 38 people. Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised on Saturday over the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane, though he stopped short of accepting that it might have been hit by Russian fire.

At least 85 people have been confirmed dead following a tragic crash involving an airplane carrying 181 passengers in South Korea. The Jeju Air passenger plane which also had six crew members on board crashed at an airport in the southwestern part of the country.

New Delhi, India: A passenger plane carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning, killing 85 people reportedly. According to early reports, the plane’s landing gear malfunctioned. The aircraft was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members.