65 killed as plane crashes in Iran

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Relatives of passengers, onboard the Aseman Airlines flight EP3704, react as they gather near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. — AFP
Relatives of passengers, onboard the Aseman Airlines flight EP3704, react as they gather near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. — AFP

Tehran, Iran - The plane crashed into Mount Dena, which is 4,400 metres tall.

By AP

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Published: Sat 17 Feb 2018, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Sun 18 Feb 2018, 10:45 PM

An Iranian commercial plane crashed on Sunday in a foggy, mountainous region of southern Iran, likely killing all 65 people on board, state media reported.
An Aseman Airlines ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, went down near its destination of the southern Iranian city of Yasuj, some 780km south of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammed Taghi Tabatabai told state TV that all on flight no. EP3704 were killed.
“After searching the area, we learned that unfortunately ... our dear passengers had lost their lives,” Tabatabai said. “This plane had 60 passengers, 59 adults and one child, as well as a pilot, a co-pilot, two flight attendants and two air marshals on board.”
The Irna news agency reported on Sunday night that one passenger had actually missed the flight, bringing the likely death toll to 65.
Due to foggy condition, rescue helicopters couldn’t reach the crash site in the Zagros Mountains, state TV reported. Tabatabai said the plane crashed into Mount Dena, which is about 4,400 metres tall.
Aseman Airlines, owned by Iran’s civil service pension foundation, is a semi-private air carrier headquartered in Tehran that specialises in flights to remote airfields across the country. It also flies internationally. It is Iran’s third-largest airline by fleet size, behind state carrier Iran Air and Mahan Air. However, Aseman Airlines is banned from flying in the European Union over safety concerns.
The carrier has a fleet of 29 aircraft, including six ATR aircraft, according to FlightRadar24, a plane-tracking website. The ATR-72 that crashed on Sunday had been built in 1993, Aseman Airlines CEO Ali Abedzadeh told state TV.
The plane took off from Tehran at 0433GMT and gave its last signal at 0555GMT, when the flight was at 16,975 feet and was descending, FlightRadar24 said.
Aseman Airlines has suffered other major crashes with fatalities. In October 1994, a twin-propeller Fokker F-28 1000 commuter plane flown by the airline crashed near Natanz, 290km south of Tehran, also killing 66 people on board. An Aseman Airlines chartered flight in August 2008, flown by an Itek Air Boeing 737, crashed in Kyrgyzstan, killing 74 people.
The Iranian Red Crescent said it has deployed to the area. Authorities said they would be investigating. Locals described hearing the crash, though no one had found the crash site yet, according to state TV.
European airplane manufacturer ATR, a Toulouse, France-based partnership of Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo S.p.A., said it had no immediate information about the crash. The manufacturer specialises in regional turboprop aircraft of 90 seats or less.
Under decades of international sanctions, Iran’s commercial passenger aircraft fleet has aged, with air accidents occurring regularly in recent years.

Foggy conditions hamper rescue operation

> Aseman Airlines ATR-72 went down near Yasuj, 780km south of Tehran.
> Initial reports say 66 passengers were onboard.
> Late reports claimed one passenger missed the flight, bringing the likely death toll to 65.
> The plane crashed into Mount Dena, which is 4,400 metres tall.
> Rescue helicopters couldn’t reach crash site in Zagros Mountains due to foggy condition.
> Aseman Airlines is a semi-private air carrier and is owned by Iran’s civil service pension foundation.
> It is Iran’s third-largest airline by fleet size, behind Iran Air and Mahan Air.
> The airlines is banned from flying in the European Union over safety concerns.
> The carrier has a fleet of 29 aircraft, including six ATR aircraft.
> The ill-fated ATR-72 was built in 1993, says an official.
> Aseman Airlines has suffered major crashes with fatalities in the past as well.
>The plane took off from Tehran at 0433GMT and gave its last signal at 0555GMT, when the flight was at 16,975 feet.
 
 


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