A Ukraine-bound Boeing 737 passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed in Iran shortly after take-off from Tehran’s international airport early Wednesday, leaving no survivors. According to Iranian state television and Ukrainian officials, and as reported by NBC News, the crash is suspected to be the result of mechanical issues, though an official cause has not yet been determined.
Of the 176 people on board, 82 were Iranian, 63 Canadian and 11 Ukrainian, including two passengers and nine crew members. There were also 10 Swedish, four Afghan, three German, and three British nationals.
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According to staff at the Boryspil airport in Kiev, where the plane was enroute, who spoke to CBS News, passengers on that flight were typically Iranian students returning to Ukraine after winter holidays, though the victims have not been identified.
“The airline expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the air crash and will do everything possible to support the relatives of the victims,” a Facebook statement from Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), the plane’s operator, read. “With immediate effect, UIA has decided to suspend its flights to Tehran until further notice.”
Although initial reports suggested the crash was the result of mechanical problems and a statement on the Ukrainian Embassy’s website stated it was caused by an engine problem, authorities are now declining to offer an explanation pending an investigation and the post on the Embassy’s website has been deleted.
The aircraft, which was 3-and-a-half-years-old, had its last routine maintenance servicing on Monday.
Additionally, Igor Sosnovsky, UIA’s vice president of operations, said in a press conference that the plane’s captain had more than 11,000 hours of flight experience.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko confirmed he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, and agreed to coordinate investigations into the crash.
“An investigation will be conducted with the involvement of the aviation authorities of Ukraine, Iran, representatives of the Boeing manufacturer, the airline, and the National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation of Ukraine,” UIA said.
Authorities have confirmed that the aircraft’s black boxes had been recovered from the crash sight, though they will not be given to Boeing or “the Americans.”
The crash came just hours after Iran launched a missile strike on two U.S. military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week. At this time, no link has been made between the two incidents.
