Iran-Armenia bound plane crashes, 169 believed dead
A Russian-made TU-154 passenger plane flying from
Tehran to Yerevan crashed in northwestern Iran on Wednesday,
presumably killing 153 passengers and 16 crew members.
Most of the passengers on board were Armenian citizens, Iranian television channels reported.
The plane plummeted into the ground near a settlement of the Iranian town of Gazvin 16 minutes after take-off.
Huseyn Bahzadpur, the director of Gazvin`s emergency service agency, says the aircraft was completely destroyed and its fragments were engulfed in fire. He presumes that no one survived in the crash.
The victims include two Georgians and 10 Iranian athletes. The group of sportsmen, comprising eight athletes and two coaches, who represented Iran`s youth judo team, were heading to the Armenian capital to train for the tournament due in Hungary on August 6.
According to Georgia`s Foreign Ministry, the two Georgians who were on board were the spouse of the head of the country`s diplomatic mission in Iran and the financial manager of the Georgian embassy in Armenia.
Caspian Airlines, which owned the plane, said the accident had resulted from inflammation of one of its engines. The plane burned down after hitting the ground.
Caspian Airlines was established in 1993 in Tehran. It operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran and international flights to Armenia, Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.
Armen Davudian, the airline`s representative for Armenia, claimed that there were only 20 to 25 Armenian citizens on board, and most of those killed were Iranians.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has cancelled his working visit to the town of Spitak and returned to Yerevan in the wake of the accident.
Most of the passengers on board were Armenian citizens, Iranian television channels reported.
The plane plummeted into the ground near a settlement of the Iranian town of Gazvin 16 minutes after take-off.
Huseyn Bahzadpur, the director of Gazvin`s emergency service agency, says the aircraft was completely destroyed and its fragments were engulfed in fire. He presumes that no one survived in the crash.
The victims include two Georgians and 10 Iranian athletes. The group of sportsmen, comprising eight athletes and two coaches, who represented Iran`s youth judo team, were heading to the Armenian capital to train for the tournament due in Hungary on August 6.
According to Georgia`s Foreign Ministry, the two Georgians who were on board were the spouse of the head of the country`s diplomatic mission in Iran and the financial manager of the Georgian embassy in Armenia.
Caspian Airlines, which owned the plane, said the accident had resulted from inflammation of one of its engines. The plane burned down after hitting the ground.
Caspian Airlines was established in 1993 in Tehran. It operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran and international flights to Armenia, Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.
Armen Davudian, the airline`s representative for Armenia, claimed that there were only 20 to 25 Armenian citizens on board, and most of those killed were Iranians.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has cancelled his working visit to the town of Spitak and returned to Yerevan in the wake of the accident.
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