Iranian airliner crashes - 105 on board
An Iranian airliner carrying 105 people crashed today in the mountains near Khorramabad in the west of the country.
No details on the number injured or killed were immediately available, nor was there information on the cause of the crash.
An official at the Khorramabad governor’s office said the plane was carrying 105 passengers and crew. The official said the plane had not yet been found, but searchers had identified the area of the crash.
The Russian made Tupolev Tu-154, owned by state-owned Iran Air Tours, left Tehran at 7:30 am headed for Khorramabad, about 230 miles southwest of the capital, state radio reported.
Villagers near the town heard a ‘‘big explosion’’ and fire after the Tupolev went down, the radio said.
Iran Air Tours leases airliners with Russian crew.
A Russian-built YAK-40 crashed in northeastern Iran last May, killing the transport minister and about 30 other passengers including seven politicians.
Iran also has an aging fleet of Boeings purchased prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The US has refused to provide spare parts for the planes as part of its wide-ranging economic sanctions, a move Iran claims endangers the life of innocent civilians.
