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Ukrainian passenger plane with more than 170 on board crashes in Iran, no survivors Ukrainian passenger jet carrying over 170 people crashes in Iran, killing all on board
(about 1 hour later)
MOSCOW — A Ukrainian passenger jet with more than 170 people on board crashed in Iran early Wednesday shortly after takeoff from the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, killing all aboard, officials said. MOSCOW — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying more than 170 people crashed in Iran early Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Tehran's main international airport, killing all aboard, officials said.
The Boeing 737 likely crashed due to technical difficulties, Iranian state media quoted Ali Kahshani, a senior public relations official at the airport, as saying.The Boeing 737 likely crashed due to technical difficulties, Iranian state media quoted Ali Kahshani, a senior public relations official at the airport, as saying.
A total of 177 people, comprising 168 passengers and nine crew members, were on board the jet, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said, according to Interfax news agency. The flight operated by Ukraine International Airlines was bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The flight operated by Ukraine International Airlines was headed for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.
“No one has survived the crash of the Ukrainian Airlines plane and we are collecting the bodies,” Pirhossein Koulivand, Iran’s chief of emergency services, told state television. “All emergency and rescue forces are present at the scene.”“No one has survived the crash of the Ukrainian Airlines plane and we are collecting the bodies,” Pirhossein Koulivand, Iran’s chief of emergency services, told state television. “All emergency and rescue forces are present at the scene.”
Many of the passengers were Iranian. Ukraine’s foreign ministry listed 176 victims, including 82 Iranians; 63 Canadians; 11 Ukrainians, including nine crew members; 10 Swedes; four Afghans; three Germans and three Britons. Iranian officials said more than 140 passengers were Iranians, suggesting some may have had dual citizenship.
Ukraine’s embassy in Iran said preliminary details pointed to engine failure. It issued a statement ruling out terrorism, but quickly took it down without explanation.Ukraine’s embassy in Iran said preliminary details pointed to engine failure. It issued a statement ruling out terrorism, but quickly took it down without explanation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Facebook page that he is “personally involved in supervision over all measures to be taken.” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on his Facebook page that he is “personally involved in supervision over all measures to be taken.”
“I implore you all to refrain from speculating and making uncorroborated theories in relation to the plane crash before any official statements are made,” Zelensky said, adding that planes would be dispatched to Tehran to collect the victims’ bodies. He was on vacation in Oman, but cut his trip short to return to Kyiv. “I implore you all to refrain from speculating and making uncorroborated theories in relation to the plane crash before any official statements are made,” Zelensky said, adding that planes would be dispatched to Tehran to collect the victims’ bodies. He was on vacation in Oman, but cut short his trip to return to Kyiv.
Most of the passengers on board were Iranians; Ukraine’s security council said there were 11 Ukrainians on board, including the nine crew members.
Boeing said on Twitter that it was “aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information.”Boeing said on Twitter that it was “aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information.”
The aircraft involved in Wednesday’s incident, a Boeing 737-800, was three years old and purchased from the manufacturer as new by Ukraine International Airlines, the carrier said in a statement. It had its last routine technical maintenance on Monday. A flight-data recorder from the plane has been recovered.The aircraft involved in Wednesday’s incident, a Boeing 737-800, was three years old and purchased from the manufacturer as new by Ukraine International Airlines, the carrier said in a statement. It had its last routine technical maintenance on Monday. A flight-data recorder from the plane has been recovered.
Though that aircraft type has not been flagged for issues, the newer 737 Max was grounded worldwide last year after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on March 10. It was the second fatal crash of a 737 Max in less than five months. In October 2018, a Lion Air flight crashed off the coast of Indonesia, killing all aboard. The jet reached an altitude of about 7,800 feet, the airline’s vice president for flight operations, Ihor Sosnovskyi, told a briefing, according to Interfax news agency.
The company’s crisis resulted in the firing of Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg two weeks ago. “[The likelihood of] a mistake made by the crew is minimal, we just don’t assume that. Given their experience, it is very difficult to say that the crew may have done something wrong,” he said.
Though the Boeing 737-800 has not been flagged for issues, the newer 737 Max was grounded worldwide last year after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on March 10, the second fatal crash of a 737 Max in less than five months. In October 2018, a Lion Air flight crashed off the coast of Indonesia, killing all aboard.
The grounding resulted in a crisis for Boeing that led to its firing of CEO Dennis Muilenburg two weeks ago.
Boeing’s firing of its CEO seen as move to ‘restore confidence’ in wake of 737 Max crisis
Wednesday’s crash coincided with Iranian forces launching more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq where U.S. troops are stationed, in response to an American airstrike that killed the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force. American passenger airliners have been banned from flying over Iran because of the risk that they could be mistaken as military aircraft, and Ukraine International Airlines has temporarily suspended flights to Tehran.Wednesday’s crash coincided with Iranian forces launching more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq where U.S. troops are stationed, in response to an American airstrike that killed the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force. American passenger airliners have been banned from flying over Iran because of the risk that they could be mistaken as military aircraft, and Ukraine International Airlines has temporarily suspended flights to Tehran.
In response to the crash and the military tensions, some airlines said they were suspending flights over Iran and Iraq.
A video circulating on Twitter that purported to be of the crash showed a distant light against a dark sky descending to the ground, followed by a burst of flames. Another video tweeted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency showed parts of a plane scattered and on fire on the ground.A video circulating on Twitter that purported to be of the crash showed a distant light against a dark sky descending to the ground, followed by a burst of flames. Another video tweeted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency showed parts of a plane scattered and on fire on the ground.
Airlines from the former Soviet Union have a checkered safety record. A small Kazakh airline, Bek Air, passenger jet with 98 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff near Almaty airport in Kazakhstan on Dec. 27, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. A plane operated by Russia’s Aeroflot made a fiery emergency landing in Moscow in May, resulting in 41 deaths, and in 2018, a Saratov Airlines plane crashed just outside Moscow, killing all 71 people on board.Airlines from the former Soviet Union have a checkered safety record. A small Kazakh airline, Bek Air, passenger jet with 98 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff near Almaty airport in Kazakhstan on Dec. 27, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. A plane operated by Russia’s Aeroflot made a fiery emergency landing in Moscow in May, resulting in 41 deaths, and in 2018, a Saratov Airlines plane crashed just outside Moscow, killing all 71 people on board.
Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Paul Schemm in Dubai contributed to this report.Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Paul Schemm in Dubai contributed to this report.
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