Ukrainian Boeing 737 Crashes Near Tehran; All Passengers and Crew Killed
A Ukrainian aircraft crashed near Parand New City in Tehran after taking off from Imam Khomeini Airport, killing all 176 people on board.
Iranian media reported on the morning of Wednesday, December 9, that a Boeing 737 aircraft crashed near Parand New City in Tehran Province after departing from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, bound for Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ali Kashani, spokesperson for Imam Khomeini Airport, said the aircraft caught fire due to a “technical defect” and crashed. As a result of the incident, all passengers and crew on board—167 passengers and 9 crew members—died.
The spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization announced that most of the passengers on the crashed Ukrainian aircraft were Iranian and Ukrainian nationals, and passengers of other nationalities were also on the flight. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
Associated Press reported, citing Ukrainian airport authorities, that most of the passengers on this aircraft were Iranian students returning to Kyiv after the New Year holidays.
According to reports, the “Ukrainian aircraft crashed in an unpopulated area of farmland and caused no damage to surrounding houses.”
A Boeing company official told Associated Press that they were aware of the incident in Iran and are gathering information.
Source: Voice of America
