All 66 killed in Iran plane crash, says airline, then retracts

February 18, 2018 17:31

All 66 people on board an Iranian passenger plane were feared dead on Sunday after it crashed into the country's Zagros mountains, with emergency services struggling to locate the wreckage in blizzard conditions.

Aseman Airlines flight EP3704 left Tehran for the city of Yasuj, some 500 kilometres to the south, the airline's public relations chief Mohammad Tabatabai told state broadcaster IRIB.

The ATR-72 twin-engine plane, in service since 1993, disappeared from radar around 45 minutes after takeoff from the capital's Mehrabad airport.

Emergency services had yet to locate the precise location of the crash.

The plane was carrying 60 passengers, including one child, as well as six crew, said Tabatabai.

"After searches in the area, unfortunately we were informed that the plane crashed. Unfortunately, our dear ones lost their lives in this incident," he said.

But he later retracted his statement, telling the ISNA news agency: "We still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we cannot accurately and definitely confirm the death of all passengers."

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