Putin apologizes to Azerbaijani leader for "tragic incident" involving crashed plane in Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a "tragic incident" following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people.

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, was flying from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the city of Grozny in Russia's North Caucasus region on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren't yet fully clear.

It crashed while trying to reach another airport in Aktau, in western Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage appears to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball about two miles from the Aktau airport.