icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
9 Jan, 2020 08:35

Plane caught fire mid-air, attempted to turn around: Iran issues initial report on Ukrainian airliner crash

Plane caught fire mid-air, attempted to turn around: Iran issues initial report on Ukrainian airliner crash

A Ukrainian airliner that crashed near Tehran was on fire and tried to turn around before crashing, Iranian investigators have said in a preliminary report. Iran has invited all relevant parties to participate in the probe.

Eyewitnesses observed a fire on the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 while it was still airborne, Iran's civil aviation organization noted. The aircraft attempted to return to Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport before crashing, killing all 176 people on board, the organization said. The Iranian investigators confirmed that no distress calls or messages were received from the pilot before the plane hit the ground.

Ali Abedzadeh, who leads the civil aviation organization, stated that all relevant countries have been invited to send representatives to help carry out the ongoing investigation into what caused Wednesday's crash.

Also on rt.com Trudeau says Canada should take part in probe to ensure ‘proper’ investigation of Ukrainian jet crash in Tehran

His organization said that all of its findings would be published and publicly available.

Ukraine had initially issued a statement claiming that the crash was due to an engine fire, but later retracted the statement. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his government was considering several possible causes of accident, but urged the public against speculating and spreading conspiracy theories. Kiev has already dispatched investigators to Iran, according to reports.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry revealed that the crash victims included 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainians, 63 Canadians, four Afghans, three Germans, three British nationals and 10 Swedes.

The crash occurred shortly after an Iranian missile attack on US bases in Iraq, prompting theories that Tehran may have accidentally shot down the plane. However, five security sources told Reuters that the initial assessment of Western intelligence agencies was that the aircraft had suffered from a mechanical malfunction.

Also on rt.com ‘One of our best planes’: Ukrainian Boeing 737 that crashed in Iran was ‘in excellent condition’ & manned by experienced crew

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0