Plane with 66 Passengers Crashes in Iran, Khamenei Offers Condolences to Victims’ Families

TEHRAN– An Iranian plane with 66 passengers flying from capital Tehran to the city of Yasouj crashed in central Iran on Sunday morning.

The ATR plane operated by Aseman Airlines disappeared from radar screens some 20 minutes after take-off from Tehran.

Emergency service officials say the aircraft is believed to have crashed around the central city of Semirom, 500 km south of Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported.

According to Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the plane was carrying 66 people, including six crew.

Foggy weather has hampered aerial rescue efforts in the Padena mountainous area, where the crash is believed to have happened, officials said.

 Pir-Hossein Koulivand, the head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services, said 50 to 60 people are believed to have boarded the plane, adding that a helicopter has been dispatched for search.

Condolences

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei offered condolences to the families of those on board the Iranian plane.

In a message of condolence on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the passing of scores of fellow nationals in the plane crash has “filled hearts with sorrow.”

Expressing condolences to the families of the victims of the doomed flight, the Leader also called on officials to take the necessary measures to handle the situation.

President Rouhani also expressed “immense sorrow” and sympathy with the bereaved families. He called it incumbent on the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development to form a taskforce to arrange for timely emergency and relief response, and properly investigate the cause of the incident to prevent any future recurrence of similar tragedies, Press TV said.

US aviation sanctions taking toll on Iranian civilians

The crash of the plane has once again brought into the limelight the issue of unilateral US sanctions and their deleterious effect on Iran’s transportation sector, especially the country’s civil aviation fleet.

Experts believe that US administration’s staunch opposition to the sale of new planes to Iran is the main factor to blame for dilapidation of Iranian air fleet, which has so far led to bloody incidents, taking a high toll on Iranian civilians, according to Press TV.

The US opposition comes in stark contradiction to the text of the landmark nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

H.M