180 feared dead as Ukrainian plane crashes in Iran

A Ukrainian plane has crashed in Iran.

All the 180 passengers and crew on the civilian airline are feared dead, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

Aljazeera quotes the Iranian media as saying the Boeing 737-800 jet crashed near Parand, a suburb southwest of capital Tehran shortly after take-off.

The crash occurred few hours after Iran attacked military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian general by the U.S.

The flight was reportedly travelling to Boryspil International Airport in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

“An investigation team from the national aviation department was dispatched to the location after the news was announced. We will give more reports in upcoming bulletins,” Reza Jafarzadeh, spokesman of the Iranian Aviation Organisation was quoted as telling reporters in Tehran.

Boeing, which manufactured the aircraft, said it was “aware of the media reports” of the incident, and it is “gathering more information.”