Ukrainian airplane crashes shortly after takeoff from Tehran airport killing all 176 people on board

Kyiv, January 8: A Ukrainian airplane carrying 176 people crashed today, shortly after takeoff from Tehran's main airport. The crash killed all on board. The plane had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in the Iranian capital when a fire struck one of its engines.

 

A spokesman for Iran's Road and Transportation authority said, the pilot of the aircraft then lost control of the plane, sending it crashing into the ground. The plane carried 167 passengers and nine crew members from different nations on its flight to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

The crash came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing US forces in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani.

The airline is indefinitely suspending flights to Tehran following today’s crash. It said the plane was manufactured in 2016 and had its last regular maintenance service on Monday.