A Boeing 737 of Ukraine International Airlines crashed in Iran on Wednesday morning, hours after Iran attacked US bases in Iraq using ballistic missiles. The passenger plane carrying 180 people experienced 'technical issues' as soon as it departed from the Imam Khomeini International airport, Iranian media said. The Iran Red Crescent said all aboard the plane were killed.
A spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation said that rescue teams were sent to the area were the plane had crashed, the state television reported. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that there were no survivors following the crash rescue mission.
Soon after the crash, Iran's ISNA news agency published a video purported to be showing the Ukrainian passenger plane moments before the crash. The video showed a faint glow of light flickering in the sky, followed by a huge fireball. The Iranian state TV said that the PS 752 had 167 passengers on board with 9 crew members accompanying them.
The IRNA said the plane was bound for Kiev. Iran's Red Crescent said that there was little chance of finding any survivors after the crash. Photos posted online by Iranian news agencies showed the wreckage of the aircraft scattered all over the ground.
Videos showed the flight experiencing issues as it departed
Boeing representatives didn't comment on the incident immediately but later tweeted that they were aware of the situation and was looking into it. Although the 737-800 belongs to the Max jet series there were no significant reports about engine issues or failures reported while in testing or in flight previously. This series operated in a different software system and was not similar to the ones in the Max jet.
Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency services, told Iranian state television said that the fire was dense making the rescue mission impossible. There were 22 ambulances, four bus ambulances and a helicopter at the site.
The Boeing flights have been experiencing backlash for the 737 Max jet. Since October 2018 crashes there have been around 350 deaths because of crashes from the aircraft. The Max jets have been grounded globally for 10 months because of the incidents.
