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'Many dead' in Iranian air crash 'Many dead' in Iranian air crash
(20 minutes later)
An Iranian plane carrying at least 168 passengers and crew has crashed in the north of the country, state media says.An Iranian plane carrying at least 168 passengers and crew has crashed in the north of the country, state media says.
An Iranian official said the plane broke into pieces and all those on board were feared dead. The plane broke into pieces and all those on board were feared dead.
The plane, reportedly a Tupolev, came down near Jannatabad village in Qazvin province, about 75 miles (120km) north-west of Tehran, state television said. The aicraft, reportedly a Tupolev, came down near Jannatabad village in Qazvin province, about 75 miles (120km) north-west of Tehran, state television said.
The Caspian Airlines plane was flying from the Iranian capital to Yerevan in Armenia, Iranian media said. The Caspian Airlines plane was flying from the Iranian capital to Yerevan in Armenia, Iranian media said. The cause of the crash is not known.
"The 7908 Caspian flight crashed 16 minutes after its take-off from the International Imam Khomeini Airport," Iran's Aviation Organisation spokesman, Reza Jafarzadeh, was quoted by Press TV as saying. "The 7908 Caspian flight crashed 16 minutes after its take-off from the International Imam Khomeini Airport," Iran's Aviation Organisation spokesman, Reza Jafarzadeh, was quoted by Iranian Press TV as saying.
Television footage showed a massive crater in a field, with smouldering debris over a wide area.
The BBC's Jon Leyne said the country was reliant on air transport, but it had been three years since the last crash.
The civil and military fleets are made up of elderly aircraft, in poor condition due to their age and lack of maintenance.
Since Iran's Islamic revolution of 1979, trade embargoes by Western nations have forced Iran to buy mainly Russian-built planes to supplement an existing fleet of Boeings and other American and European models.
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