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| Iran plane crash wreckage found on mountainside | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Search teams in Iran have found the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed on Sunday. | |
| The Aseman Airlines flight came down in the Zagros mountains in the west of the country and all 66 people on board are feared to have died. | |
| Rescuers travelled to the wreckage on foot after a helicopter was unable to land on the snowy mountainside. | |
| Earlier, state TV aired helicopter footage showing scattered wreckage of the plane. | |
| The head of the country's emergency services said moving the bodies of those who had died would prove difficult in the bad weather conditions. | The head of the country's emergency services said moving the bodies of those who had died would prove difficult in the bad weather conditions. |
| The army's commander-in-chief said military equipment could be used for this. | |
| The Revolutionary Guards, a powerful part of the armed forces, said the wreckage had been found through drone images before the air force's helicopters were deployed. | The Revolutionary Guards, a powerful part of the armed forces, said the wreckage had been found through drone images before the air force's helicopters were deployed. |
| Ageing aircraft fleet | Ageing aircraft fleet |
| A pilot told state broadcaster IRIB that he had seen "scattered bodies around the plane" and that it was located at about 4,000m (13,000ft) altitude. | A pilot told state broadcaster IRIB that he had seen "scattered bodies around the plane" and that it was located at about 4,000m (13,000ft) altitude. |
| Heavy winds, fog and snow caused the search to be called off on Sunday and helicopters to be grounded on Monday. | Heavy winds, fog and snow caused the search to be called off on Sunday and helicopters to be grounded on Monday. |
| But Tuesday's weather was better, allowing helicopter pilots to see more. | But Tuesday's weather was better, allowing helicopter pilots to see more. |
| The ATR 72-500 twin-engine turboprop was travelling from Tehran to the south-western city of Yasuj. | The ATR 72-500 twin-engine turboprop was travelling from Tehran to the south-western city of Yasuj. |
| Flight EP3704 left Tehran at 04:30 GMT on Sunday, and crashed about an hour later in the Mount Dena area, about 22km (14 miles) from its destination. | Flight EP3704 left Tehran at 04:30 GMT on Sunday, and crashed about an hour later in the Mount Dena area, about 22km (14 miles) from its destination. |
| The crashed plane was 25 years old, Iran's civil aviation organisation said. | The crashed plane was 25 years old, Iran's civil aviation organisation said. |
| Sixty passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot were on board. | Sixty passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot were on board. |
| Iran has suffered several aviation accidents in recent years and has an ageing aircraft fleet. | Iran has suffered several aviation accidents in recent years and has an ageing aircraft fleet. |
| The country has struggled to obtain spare parts to maintain its planes in the face of international sanctions imposed to curb its nuclear programme. | The country has struggled to obtain spare parts to maintain its planes in the face of international sanctions imposed to curb its nuclear programme. |
| Those sanctions have been mostly lifted under a 2015 deal between Iran and the US alongside several other powers. | Those sanctions have been mostly lifted under a 2015 deal between Iran and the US alongside several other powers. |