The deadly crash of Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan has been compared to the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.

A French aviation expert said that the crash in Aktau on Christmas Day was “reminiscent” of the Malaysian Airlines flight which was downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile by Russia-backed rebels over eastern Ukraine a decade ago, killing all 298 people on board.

Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear.

It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau after flying east across the Caspian Sea. The crash killed 38 people, with 29 survivors.

Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball.