A Boeing 737-800 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines has crashed shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran at 6.12 a.m. local time, Wednesday. The plane, flight PS752, was heading for the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.
According to eyewitnesses, the plane was ablaze prior to crashing into the ground two miles to the north-east of the airport. Among the victims were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including 9 crew, ten Swedes, four Afghans, three Britons and three Germans, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko confirmed.
Ukraine International Airlines has suspended flights to Tehran indefinitely. The airline said that the aircraft had had its last scheduled maintenance on Monday. It is understood that the aircraft was manufactured in 2016 and was delivered new to the carrier. The aircraft’s black boxes have already been recovered and Iranian, Ukrainian, U.S. and French authorities will all be involved in the investigation, with Iran explicitly extending the invitation to join the investigation to the United States accident-investigation agency. The National Transportation Safety Board stated that it would “evaluate its level of participation in the investigation.”
