Sixty-six people have been killed after a plane crashed in the Zagros mountains in Iran

News24xx.com - Sixty-six people including a child were killed after a plane crashed in Iran's mountainous region on Sunday 18 February 2018.

ATR-72 commercial aircraft traveled from Tehran to the southern city of Yasuj in Isfahan province when it crashed in the Zagros mountains.

Twin turboprop engines, that used for short-haul planes, are said to collide with Mount Dena, which is 14,435 feet high.

Aseman Airlines spokesman, Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai said there were 60 passengers on Flight EP3704 aircraft, including a child, and six crew members.

Witnesses told to local media that the plane seemed to be making an emergency landing before the plane finally crashed.

'After searching for the plane in the area, we know all the passengers have lost their lives,' he said.

"The aircraft has 60 passengers, 59 adults and one child, as well as pilots, co-pilots, two flight attendants and two air marshals."

 

The plane reportedly vanished from the radar 20 minutes after taking off at 0433 GMT before crashing into the mountains, about 780 kilometers south of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

The plane was able to signal the last at 0555 GMT when the flight was at an altitude of 16,975 feet.

 
The Iranian Red Crescent deployed search and rescue teams to a location near the town of Semirom in Isfahan province.

Aseman Airlines is the third largest airline in Iran with 29 aircraft.

Aseman Airlines CEO Ali Abedzadeh told state television that the plane that crashed on Sunday was assembled in 1993.

Previously, the airline has recorded several accidents with many casualties.

In October 1994, the Fokker F-28 1000 twin commuter plane flown by the airline crashed near Natanz, 290 kilometers south of Tehran, killing 66 people in it.

A flight chartered by Aseman Airlines in August 2008, flown by Boeing 747 Itek Air, crashed in Kyrgyzstan, killing 74 people.

Authorities say they will investigate the accident.

 

 

 

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