Ukraine explains cause of plane crash in Iran that killed 176

The Boeing 737 is believed to have been struck by technical problems shortly after take off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran, killing everyone on board.

Ukraine's embassy in Iran, citing preliminary information, said the plane had suffered engine failure before it burst into flames.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said there were 167 passengers and nine crew members on board, according to preliminary data, as well as confirming Ukrainian consul are at the crash site.

The plane was new in 2016. It was last checked on 6 January 2020, an airline official said.

“There were not a single issue with its technical state, no issues mentioned by the crew when they flew into Tehran,” he said.

“Given the complexity of the flight there was a reinforced crew on this flight.

“The plane went to 2,400m high (7,875 ft).

“Given the experience of the crew the chance of their making a mistake is minimal.

“There were six flight attendants, they were brilliant young women and men... may they rest in peace.”

 “Most of the passengers were transiting via Ukraine,” an airline official said.

“Kyiv was not their final destination.”

The Boeing 737 is believed to have been struck by technical problems shortly after take off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry confirmed three British citizens were among the dead.

82 citizens of Iran were on the plane, along with 63 from Canada, 11 from Ukraine, 10 from Sweden, four from Afghanistan, three from Germany, and three from the UK, said a statement.

An airline official said separately there were 167 passengers and nine crew on the plane.

A full list of passengers is expected to be published soon.

11 Ukrainian citizens killed

Ukraine’s national security council said on Wednesday that 11 Ukrainian citizens died in the crash of an Ukrainian airliner in Iran, including nine crew members.

In a separate statement, Ukraine International Airlines said it was suspending flights to Tehran indefinitely and that the crashed plane had its last scheduled maintenance on Monday.

The airline said it was doing everything possible to find out the causes of the crash and that it was providing all possible assistance to the relatives of those killed.

A Ukrainian airliner crashed soon after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport on Wednesday, killing all 176 people aboard, Iran’s state television and Ukraine’s leaders said.

The Ukrainian embassy has said that engine failure caused the crash.