Ukraine airlines plane crashes in Tehran; death toll reaches 176
A Boeing 737 Ukrainian passenger plane crashed in Tehran amid Iran-US tensions. All 176 people aboard the Ukrainian plane crashed shortly after taking flight from Tehran. Qasim Biniyaz, spokesman for the Road and Transport Authority of Iran, said the plane took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in the Iranian capital, when one of its engines caught fire.
The Iranian media is being quoted as saying that the accident was caused by a technical flaw. 82 Iran and 63 Canadian citizens were among those killed.
The aircraft flew from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran to the Boryspil International Airport in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev. It is being told that the technical fault could be the cause of the accident. Civil Aviation Ministry spokesman Raza Jafarzadeh said that the plane was involved in an accident in the southwestern part of Tehran. Investigators and rescue personnel arrive at the accident site, although no one is found alive.
Iran gets black box of aircraft: aviation officer
Iranian search and rescue teams have found the black box of the cashed plane which could shed light on the reason for the fatal accident. Reza Zafarzada, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of Iran, said that two black boxes of the crashed plane 737 of Ukraine have been found this morning.
US restricts air services over Iran and Iraq
After the latest attack, the US has banned any American flight over Iran and Iraq with immediate effect. The US fears that Iran-backed rebel organizations may target American airplanes. A few days ago, the US intelligence agencies issued a warning that the rebels had missiles capable of taking down aircraft.
Iran fired several rockets at the US al-Assad airbase in Iraq, retaliating on Wednesday after the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike. According to the Pentagon, more than a dozen missiles have been fired at its airbase. Coalition forces with the US are stationed at this airbase. The exact details of how much damage was done to the US coalition forces in this attack could not be found.
