167 passengers die as Ukrainian plane crashes near Tehran airport

SANAA, Jan. 8 (YPA) – 167 passengers died on Wednesday when Ukrainian Boeing 737 crashed shortly after take off from Iran’s main international airport, according to the Iranian News Agency / IRNA.

The Ukrainian plane crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, killing 167, including 140 Iranians and 9 crew members.

“The Ukrainian plane took off from Imam Khomeini airport  towards Kiev, but due to a fire in its engine due to a technical defect, it crashed on the outskirts of the airport near the city of Brund, south of the capital, Tehran,” the agency quoted a spokesman for the airport, Ali Kashani, as saying.

As a participatory, the plane “Boeing 737” belongs to the Ukrainian Airlines.