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All 180 people on board a Ukrainian passenger plane were killed when it crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported.
Its engine caught fire.
State news agency IRNA said 167 passengers and nine crew members were on board the aircraft operated by Ukraine International Airlines.
“Obviously it is impossible that passengers” on flight PS-752 are alive, the head of Red Crescent told semi-official news agency ISNA, putting the number of people on board at 170.
The Boeing 737 had left Tehran’s international airport bound for Kiev, the agency said, adding that 10 ambulances were sent to the crash site.
It is unclear whether the incident is linked to the Iran-US confrontation. Rescue teams have been sent to the area, near the airport, where the aircraft crashed.
“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, told state television, according to Reuters news agency.
The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in the Iranian capital Tehran.
The crash site lies between the cities of Parand and Shahriar, according to the head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services.
Flight radar data suggests the plane crashed two minutes after taking off, according to flight-tracking service FlightRadar24. The plane had been in service for three and a half years, and was last spotted on radar at 7,925 feet (2,415.54 meters).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed all passengers and crew on board the Boeing 737 were killed in Wednesday’s crash, in a statement on his official Facebook page.
“According to preliminary information, all passengers and crew members had died. Our embassy is working to clarify information on the circumstances of the tragedy and the list of deceased passengers. My sincere condolences to families and loved ones of all passengers and crew members.”
The Ukrainian Embassy in Iran told CNN it is gathering a list of passengers killed.
“Our consul is working at Tehran airport, we are gathering a list of passengers killed in the crash this morning. We don’t have final numbers yet, we are working in contact with the rescue teams on the site and Ukrainian International Airlines office in Iran,” the embassy said. (Credit: CNN
