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| Search continues for Iran plane that crashed in mountains | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Search and rescue teams are continuing to search for an Iranian plane that crashed in bad weather on Sunday. | |
| Officials told state media that the wreckage had been found, but an aviation spokesman said he could not confirm this. | |
| The Aseman Airlines passenger plane came down in the Zagros mountains on Sunday, and all 66 people on board are feared to have been killed. | The Aseman Airlines passenger plane came down in the Zagros mountains on Sunday, and all 66 people on board are feared to have been killed. |
| Hundreds of mountaineers with dogs and drones are trying to reach the site. | |
| The searchers face bad weather conditions. Due to fog and strong winds, helicopters that were deployed for the search at dawn on Monday have had to be grounded, a Red Crescent official told local media. | |
| And on Sunday, teams had to stop work altogether due to winds and snow. | |
| 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. | |
| On Monday officials from the region told news channels rescuers had reached the site. | |
| But both channels - IRINN and English-language Press TV - said they could not confirm the reports independently, and a civil aviation spokesman told Reuters news agency the reports could not be confirmed. | |
| 'Grief and sorrow' | 'Grief and sorrow' |
| 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. |
| Following the crash, the airline initially said that all on board had died, but later on Sunday said that it could not confirm this as no-one had reached the site. | |
| Iran's President Hassan Rouhani expressed sympathy for all involved, saying in a statement that the incident brought "great grief and sorrow". | Iran's President Hassan Rouhani expressed sympathy for all involved, saying in a statement that the incident brought "great grief and sorrow". |
| Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the accident "saddened the hearts". | Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the accident "saddened the hearts". |
| 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. |