Boeing 737 crashes near Tehran shortly after takeoff, killing 176
By Darryl Coote
Emergency services personnel walk amidst the wreckage after a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 carrying 176 people crashed near Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, killing everyone on board. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE
Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A Boeing 737 crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran on Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board, according to Iranian state news media.
Iran's Press TV reported that the Ukraine International Airlines flight went down minutes after departing for the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with 167 passengers and nine crew early Wednesday, crashing near Parand, about 37 miles southwest of the capital Tehran.
Pirhossein Koulivand, Iran's Emergency Medical Service chief, said there were no survivors, Iran's semi-official ISNA reported.
"Unfortunately, all the passengers died," he said.
Among the dead were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including the nine crew members, 10 Swedes, four Afghans and three Britons, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said in a tweet.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Facebook post that he would be returning from a trip to Oman and offered his condolences to the victims' families and friends.
Ali Khashani, a senior official at Imam Khomeini International Airport, said the crash was likely the result of technical problems, a conclusion the Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran reiterated in a statement that ruled out the possibility it was the result of an attack.
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"According to preliminary information from the Iranian side, the plane crashed due to an engine malfunction," the embassy said on its Facebook page. "The version of the terrorist attack or rocket attack is currently excluded."
In a statement, Ukraine Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said an operational headquarters has been set up to investigate the cause of the crash and its consulate in Iran was working on site.
Boeing, the plane's embattled American manufacturer, said in a statement it was aware of the crash and was "gathering more information."
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We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information.— The Boeing Company (@Boeing) January 8, 2020
The crash comes days before David L. Calhoun is to take over as the company's CEO and president on Monday after Dennis Muilenburg resigned amid a leadership shakeup in the wake of two fatal crashes.
Boeing has been suffering significant financial losses and damage to its reputation since two 737 Max 8 planes crashed in a span of five months last year, killing a total of 346 people.
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