176 people killed after Ukrainian passenger plane crashes in Iran

Yekiti Media

A Ukrainian airliner with 176 people on board crashed on Wednesday due to technical problems soon after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.

All those on board the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed in Iran have been killed, Iranian state TV reported on Wednesday.

The flight did not declare an emergency, Iranian media said, quoting an official of the Iran Civil Aviation Organization.

The comments were made by Hassan Rezaeifar, the general director of the body’s panel to investigate aircraft accidents.

Foreigners accounted for 32 of those on board, state television said.

Rescue teams were sent to an area near the airport where the Boeing 737 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines crashed, Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, told state television.

“The plane is on fire but we have sent crews … and we may be able to save some passengers.” Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s emergency services, had told the television earlier.