Iran plane crash in south of country 'kills all 65 onboard'

It was sad news as all passengers and crew onboard an Iranian commercial flight died after the plane crashed amid severe weather conditions in a mountainous region in the south of the country, state television reported on Sunday.

Owojela’s Blog learnt that Aseman Airlines flight 3705, en route from Tehran to the southern city of Yasuj, the capital of the impoverished province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, went off radar 50 minutes into its journey, not far from its destination.

The twin-engine turboprop ATR-72 plane, which was 20 years old, left the Iranian capital at 8.05am local time (0435 GMT) on Sunday for a 350-mile (560km) internal journey, officials said.

Footage broadcast on state television showed frantic scenes at the Yasuj airport with families in a state of disbelief. “Please pray for them to come back alive,” a young woman, in tears, told the interviewer.

A man said he spoke to his brother and father, who were on the plane, 10 minutes before it took off. “They said they’re on their way,” he said.

Local media published the full names of everyone onboard, but officials from the country’s aviation agency said they could not confirm the identities before recovering the bodies. A child was among those believed to have been killed.

The airline had also initially said 60 passengers and six crew were on board the twin-engined turboprop ATR 72 that was flying to the southwestern city of Yasuj. But it later said there were a total of 65 people on board, as one passenger had missed the flight.

Severe weather conditions, including heavy fog, hampered search and rescue operations, which meant helicopters could not fly over the crash site, believed to be in the Zagros mountains near the city of Semirom, in neighbouring Isfahan province.

“12 search and rescue teams … have been dispatched to the area where the plane is believed to have crashed in Semirom’s Mount Dena, which is extremely difficult to reach,” Jalal Pouranfard, a senior provincial official, told the Irna state news agency. “We have not yet found any debris or bodies.”

The Red Crescent Society in Semirom said preparations were under way to fly a drone to locate the crash site. “We can’t dispatch any helicopters because of the bad weather but we’re sending a drone to the area,” an official, Nourmohammad Mousavi, told Irna.

There is a daily return flight from Tehran to Yasuj, carrying up to 60 passengers each way, according to local media.

Capt Hojjatallah Foulad, a veteran pilot, was believed to be among the dead. In 2013, he saved the lives of his passengers by making an emergency landing at Yasuj airport after an engine failed while flying the same type of ATR commercial plane.

An Iranian news website said the plane had recently rejoined the air fleet after seven years of undergoing repairs. “The plane which crashed today faced technical problems midair during a recent flight a few weeks ago,” Roozarooz news reported.

An Instagram post from Aseman Airlines two months ago that announced the plane was back in service after seven years was deleted this morning after the plane crash, Roozarooz reported.

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has asked for an inquiry and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued his condolences.

“The tragic event of a recent passenger airplane crash, that led to the loss of a number of our dear compatriots, filled our hearts with grief and sorrow. I express my deepest condolences to their mourning families,” he said in a statement posted on his official website on Sunday. “The concerned officials must make their utmost efforts; they must cooperate on taking all necessary measures in this regard, allowing respect and proper burials of parted loved ones.”

Aseman Airlines, which is owned by Iran’s civil service pension foundation, is a semi-private air carrier and third-largest in the country by fleet size and offers mainly domestic, but also some international flights. In 2016, it signed a deal to purchase 30 Boeing 737 MAX jets as part of Iran’s attempt to renew its ageing air fleet.

Aseman has six ATR planes among its fleet of 29 planes. Three of the ATRs are in operation.

There have been scores of plane crashes in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, mainly because western sanctions for decades limited its ability to purchase spare parts or buy new planes. At least 1,985 people have died in plane crashes in Iran since 1979, according to official figures.

The former US president Barack Obama lifted the US ban on selling aircraft parts to Iran in January 2016 following the landmark nuclear deal, though approval by the US government will still be required before the deal can take place.

Iran has signed lucrative deals with Airbus and Boeing for scores of planes worth billions of pounds but so far has received very few. Those deals are now under threat from Donald Trump, who opposes the nuclear deal.