This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51029994

The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
Ukrainian passenger plane crashes in Iran Iran crash: Ukrainian passenger plane crashes with 170 on board
(about 1 hour later)
A Ukrainian Boeing-737 with more than 170 people on board has crashed in Iran, officials say. A Ukrainian Boeing-737 with more than 170 people from seven countries on board has crashed in Iran.
Iran's Red Crescent said there was no chance of finding survivors.Iran's Red Crescent said there was no chance of finding survivors.
The Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed just after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, said the Fars state news agency. Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 to Ukraine's capital Kyiv crashed just after taking off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran at 06:12 local time (02:42 GMT).
The plane was flying to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukraine's government said a crisis group was being set up to investigate the crash. Ukraine's embassy in Tehran said engine failure caused the crash and there was no link to terrorism.
President Volodymyr Zelensky was cutting short a trip to Oman and returning to Kyiv, a statement said. "According to preliminary information, the plane crashed as a result of an engine failure for technical reasons. Currently, the version of a terrorist attack is ruled out," the embassy said on the Ukraine Foreign Ministry's website.
Among the victims were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including all the crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Britons and three Germans, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was cutting short a trip to Oman and flying back to Kyiv. He warned against "speculation or unchecked theories regarding the catastrophe" until official reports were ready.
"My sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of all passengers and crew," he said in a statement."My sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of all passengers and crew," he said in a statement.
It is unclear whether the incident is linked to the Iran-US confrontation. Some 168 passengers and nine crew members were confirmed to have been registered to fly on the aircraft.
Ukraine International Airlines has suspended flights to Tehran indefinitely. The airline said that the aircraft had had its last scheduled maintenance on Monday.
Rescue teams have been sent to the crash site but the head of Iran's Red Crescent told state media that it was "impossible" for anyone to have survived the crash.Rescue teams have been sent to the crash site but the head of Iran's Red Crescent told state media that it was "impossible" for anyone to have survived the crash.
Some 168 passengers and nine crew members were confirmed to have been registered to fly on the aircraft, Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said. Rescue workers had found one of the airliner's black boxes, Iranian media reported.
Ukraine has organised special planes to fly to Iran to take back the bodies of those killed, pending Iran's agreement, Mr Zelensky said.
Aviation safety analyst Todd Curtis told the BBC that the aircraft involved in the crash had been manufactured in 2016 and delivered new to the airline.
"The airplane was heavily fragmented which means either there was an intense impact on the ground or something happened in the sky," he said.
"From all appearances this was an airplane that had been properly cared for and there were no outstanding issues with respect to European authorities or American authorities so at this point there is nothing that points to a particular cause."
Mr Curtis said Iranian, Ukrainian, US and French authorities would all be involved in the investigation, but it was unclear how they would work together. Iran is currently under US sanctions and there are severe tensions between the two countries.
"They will start putting together the story of what happened on that airplane... to see if there is something about the condition of the aircraft or the fuel on board that might have led to this," he said.
"And also one cannot discount the possibility that something outside the aircraft, a mid-air collision or some other issue, may have been involved."