Azerbaijan’s presidential office has given the clearest indication yet that the Embraer 190 which crashed in Aktau suffered considerable flight-control damage as a result of an external detonation in Russian airspace.

The office has detailed a telephone call between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev on 28 December during which, it states, Putin “expressed his apologies” over the “tragic incident”.

Aliyev told Putin that the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft suffered a “complete loss of control” as a result of “external physical and technical interference” in Russian airspace.

He stressed that this has been confirmed by multiple holes in the fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew from “foreign particles penetrating the cabin” during flight, and testimony from surviving flight attendants and passengers.

The aircraft had been en route to Grozny from Baku on 25 December but subsequently diverted to Aktau where it crashed while attempting to land.

Its erratic flightpath to Aktau suggested substantial control problems, possibly from damage to hydraulics and other systems.

Aliyev told Putin that the “courage and professionalism” of the crew enabled it to reach Aktau, where the jet broke up while attempting an emergency landing. Thirty-eight of the 67 occupants did not survive the crash.

Both presidents acknowledged a need for a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the occurrence, “ensuring those responsible are held accountable”, says the presidential office.