Iranian rescue teams find site, wreckage from plane crash
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian search and rescue teams on Monday reached the site of a plane crash the previous day that authorities say killed all 65 people on board, Iran’s Press TV reported.
The Aseman Airlines ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for shortdistance regional flying, went down on Sunday in foggy weather, crashing into Mount Dena in southern Iran.
The airliner said all on board Flight EP3704 were killed, including six crew members.
The crash of the aircraft, brought back into service only months ago after being grounded for seven years, was yet another fatal aviation disaster for Iran, which for years was barred from buying necessary airplane parts due to Western sanctions over its contested nuclear program, forcing Iranians to fly in aging aircraft.
Press TV said search teams reached the crash site before dawn on Monday. The station said the weather had improved though it was still windy.
The TV broadcast footage of a helicopter joining the search and showed ambulances and rescue vehicles preparing to reach the site on Mount Dena, which is about 4,400 meters (14,435 feet) tall.
Other Iranian news outlets and officials did not confirm that the crash site had been reached. State radio said five helicopters and five drones are active in the search operation.
The ATR-72 went down near its destination of the southern city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers (485 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, from where it took off. The cause of the crash is unknown.