Probe underway into deadly plane crash in Iran

By Nathan Morley

Investigators in Iran have stated that the crew of the Ukrainian passenger jet which crashed shortly after taking-off from Tehran’s International airport on Wednesday had tried to turn back.

Furthermore, they revealed pilots made no communication about experiencing any problems.

The initial report from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization cited witnesses on the ground - and in a passing aircraft - as saying the Ukrainian jetliner was on fire.

A spokeswoman for the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Katerina Zalenkou, said the crash must be fully and impartially investigated.

“We have sent a delegation of experts to Tehran, they arrived today and started working there,” she said. “We will be heavily involved and we’ve asked that representatives from all countries that have lost citizens are included in the investigation team.”

Iranian investigators have confirmed that the flight recorders from the Boeing 737 have been recovered from the crash site.

The dead included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians along with Ukrainians, Swedes, Afghans, Germans, and citizens from the UK.