It’s being reported that a Ukrainian jet with 180 people on board, which had just taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, crashed near the airport in Tehran:
AP – A Ukrainian airplane carrying at least 170 people crashed Wednesday near an airport in the capital, Tehran, state TV reported. There was no immediate word on casualties.
The plane had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, the report said. The crash is suspected to have been caused by mechanical issues, it added, without elaborating.
An investigation team was at the site of the crash in southwestern outskirts of Tehran, civil aviation spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh said.
“After taking off from Imam Khomeini international airport it crashed between Parand and Shahriar,” Jafarzadeh said. “An investigation team from the national aviation department was dispatched to the location after the news was announced.”
State TV earlier said there were 180 passengers and crew aboard. The discrepancy could not be immediately reconciled.
Flight data from the airport showed a Ukrainian 737-800 flown by Ukraine International Airlines took off Wednesday morning, then stopped sending data almost immediately afterward, according to website FlightRadar24. The airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The crash came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
The Boeing 737-800 is a very common single-aisle, twin-engine jetliner used for short to medium-range flights. Thousands of the planes are used by airlines around the world.
Al-Hadath, an Arabic news site, has posted video of the Ukrainian airliner flying through the air before it crashed and caused a huge explosion. It appeared to be on fire as it plummeted to the ground:
Assuming this video is accurate, that was a huge explosion at the point of impact. I think it’s safe to say that no one survived the crash.
I should point out that Al-Hadath is also reporting, separately in a tweet, that an Iranian missile is responsible for the jet crashing:
Reports that an Iranian missile accidentally shot down a Ukrainian plane with 180 on board.
Nothing is confirmed yet. https://t.co/mWJkKkJ5np
— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) January 8, 2020