Cargo Plane Crashes in Residential Area in Karaj
A cargo aircraft collided with residential homes in the Zibadash residential district of Karaj. According to reports, the plane took off from Kyrgyzstan and belonged to the Iranian Army Air Force. The extent of damage and potential casualties remains unclear.
A cargo aircraft crashed near Karaj on the morning of Monday, December 24 (January 14). According to Tabnack news site, the pilot of this aircraft was unable to control the plane while landing at Fath Airport, and after exiting the end of the runway, the aircraft first collided with the airport wall and then with a building in the Zibadash residential district of Karaj.
The incident occurred at 8:30 a.m., and according to the CEO of the Red Crescent Society of Alborz Province, residential homes caught fire following the plane collision. Naser Chakhasaz told ISNA news agency that firefighting operations and search for potential casualties are currently underway.
According to domestic media reports, the aircraft took off from the city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and was headed for Payam Airport in the Mehr Shahr area of Karaj. It is still unclear why the pilot landed at Fath Airport instead. In some reports, it was stated that the pilot landed “by mistake” at Fath Airport.
Fars News Agency reported, citing “news sources,” that the aircraft belonged to the Iranian Army Air Force and its cargo was “meat shipment.” The crashed aircraft was a Boeing 707 and had ten passengers on board.
Fars mentioned the number of passengers as 16 people, citing the spokesman for the National Emergency Organization.
An expert, referring to the proximity and similarity of Fath and Payam airports, told Farsnews: “In the flight chart for Payam Airport and the AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) of Iran, it must certainly be noted that there is an airport with a similar runway and direction in the vicinity of Fath Airport so pilots do not make a mistake. If it is an international flight, these conditions must be observed much more carefully.”
According to the CEO of the Red Crescent Society of Alborz, eight rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.
Fars reported, citing the spokesman for the National Emergency Organization, that “of the 16 passengers on this aircraft, only the flight engineer managed to exit the plane alive.”
There is still no precise information about the extent of damage and potential casualties, as well as the fate of residents of the residential home that the aircraft collided with.
Source: DW
