A Ukrainian plane taking off from Iran's Khomeini International Airport in Tehran crashed Wednesday morning, the Associated Press and Iran State Tv both reported.
Iranian State TV reported that the Boeing 737 bound for Kiev was carrying 170 passengers. There is no word on the state of the passengers and crew.
The crash was likely due to a mechanical error, state TV reported.
Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s emergency services, told Iran's State TV service that “the plane is on fire but we have sent crews... and we may be able to save some passengers.”
A civil aviation spokesman says an investigation team was at the site of the crash in southwestern outskirts of Tehran. The crash came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
