The Ukrainian flight crashed hours after Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq.
January 8, 2020, 7:16 AM
3 min read
A passenger plane carrying 170 people crashed in Iran shortly after takeoff Wednesday morning, killing all on board, according to Iran officials.
"An investigation team from the national aviation department was dispatched to the location after the news was announced," spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh of the Iranian Aviation Organization said in a statement.
The crash occurred hours after Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq, targeting U.S. military sites in what appeared to be retaliation for the recent American drone strike that killed one of its top generals.
The site of the crash of a Ukraine Airlines passenger jet near the Iranian capital of Tehran is seen in this still image from an Associated Press video, Jan. 8, 2020.
The site of the crash of a Ukraine Airlines passenger jet near the Iranian capital of Tehran is seen in this still image from an Associated Press video, Jan. 8, 2020.Associated Press
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his condolences in a statement.
"Our embassy is clarifying information around the circumstances of the tragedy and the list of the dead," Zelenskiy wrote. "My sincere condolences to friends and family of all passengers and members of the crew."
Map shows Ukraine-bound airplane crash near Tehran.
Map shows Ukraine-bound airplane crash near Tehran.J.magno/AP
According to Flightradar24 data, the Boeing 737 aircraft departed Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport for Ukraine's capital of Kiev at 6:12 a.m. local time. The data dropped off just two minutes later.
Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since two Boeing 737 Max planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed a total of 346 people. The aircraft that crashed Wednesday is not a Max, but a 737 Next Gen -- an earlier model that has a generally strong safety record. The 737 Next Gen does not have the software investigators linked to the fatal 737 Max crashes.
“We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information," Boeing said in a statement Wednesday to ABC News.
ABC News' Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.
