Yahoo – AFP,
Siavosh Ghazi, 10 Aug 2014
 |
A member of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stands next to the remains of a
plane that
crashed near Tehran's Mehrabad airport, on August 10, 2014 (AFP
Photo/Atta
Kenare)
|
Tehran
(AFP) - An Iranian passenger plane crashed Sunday moments after takeoff from
Tehran, killing 39 people on board and narrowly avoiding many more deaths when
it plummeted near a busy market.
The plane
was headed to the eastern city of Tabas, the IRNA and Fars news agencies said,
when it crashed at 9:18 am (0448 GMT), after leaving Mehrabad airport.
It
triggered a fireball when it smashed into the capital's Azadi neighbourhood,
close to where hundreds of military families live, and only a few hundred
metres (yards) from a row of shops.
 |
Iranian
Revolutionary Guards and security
forces stand next to the wreckage of a
plane after a crash near Tehran's
Mehrabad airport on August 10, 2014
(AFP Photo/Atta
Kenare)
|
The
accident killed 39 people and injured nine, according to the latest official
toll. A fire official initially said all on board had been killed.
The
aircraft was operated by Sepahan Airlines, and a tail section bearing the
company's dolphin logo could be seen sticking out of the road as security
forces cordoned off the crash site where firefighters had doused the flames.
Black smoke
billowed from the mass of burnt out and twisted metal, with officials saying
the plane hit a wall and trees.
"The
scene was terrible, with the back of the plane in the middle of the
street," one witness said.
"But
we were lucky because there was a market 500 metres away and a lot of people
were there."
Another
witness told state television: "I was on my motorbike and I heard
something behind me. I turned round and it was a plane, so I got on to the
ground because it was so close.
 |
Iranian
security forces secure the scene of a plane crash as emergency
personnel search
for survivors near Tehran's Mehrabad airport on August 10,
2014 (AFP Photo/Atta
Kenare)
|
"With
other people, we ran to try to save the passengers but there were two or three
loud explosions and a huge fire."
Busiest
domestic hub
Mehrabad
airport, near central Tehran, is by far the country's busiest domestic hub,
serving routes to all major Iranian cities.
Most
international passenger flights take off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini
International Airport, which is farther west of the capital.
 |
Iranian
firemen attach the remains of a
plane to a crane to remove it from the
scene of
a crash near Tehran's Mehrabad
airport on August 10, 2014 (AFP Photo/
Behrouz
Mehri)
|
An
investigation is under way, he added.
The
Ukrainian-designed An-140 is intended for regional use, has a range of around
2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles) and can carry up to 52 people. Iranian airlines
are one of the plane's biggest users.
The Isna
news agency reported that the plane in Sunday's crash had been assembled under
licence by an Iranian company in Isfahan, 450 kilometres south of Tehran.
Later
Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani ordered the grounding of all domestically
produced An-140s.
"The
president has asked for a complete report from the transport ministry, and in
the meantime has ordered a halt to all flights by this type of aircraft,"
IRNA reported.
 |
Municipality
workers clean up the scene
of a plane crash near Tehran's Mehrabad
airport on
August 10, 2014 (AFP Photo/
Behrouz Mehri)
|
Iran has
suffered several air crashes in recent years, blamed on ageing planes, poor
maintenance and a shortage of new parts because of international sanctions.
Iranian
airlines, including state-run operators, are short of finance and have seen
business suffer because of banking restrictions imposed on the Islamic republic
by the United States and Europe.
Iran's last
major air crash was in January 2011, when an Iran Air Boeing 727 shattered on
impact while attempting an emergency landing in a snowstorm in the northwest,
killing 77 people.
And in July
2009, a Russian-made jetliner crashed shortly after taking off from the
capital, killing all 168 people on board.
No comments:
Post a Comment