Thirteen of 16 people killed in a plane accident in northeastern Iran on Friday were crew and the three others were passengers, Iran’s state TV reported yesterday.
The passenger plane, an Ilyushin Il-62 from Kazakhstan leased by Iran’s Aria Aviation Company, veered from the runway and hit a wall while landing at Mashhad’s Hasheminejad Airport.
Iranian media said 30 people were injured in the accident and they were being treated at three hospitals in the same city.
PHOTO: EPA
“Nine of the cresw members killed in the incident were citizens of Kazakhstan and the remaining four were Iranians,” Reza Jafarzadeh, the spokesman of Iran’s aviation organization told the official IRNA news agency yesterday.
There were 153 people on board the aircraft, which had flown to Mashhad from Tehran. Iran’s TV showed images of the plane with its front completely damaged and said the accident was because of a malfunction in the aircraft’s wheels.
Iranian media reported that the pilot was among the dead.
State TV said the flying license of Aria Aviation Company had been suspended until an investigation into the plane crash was completed. Mashhad is a popular pilgrimage destination for Shiite Muslims who make up the majority of Iran’s population.
On July 15, a Russian-built Tupolev aircraft crashed in Iran on its way to Armenia, after catching fire mid-air and plowing into farmland, killing all 168 people on board. That accident, in which six Armenian and two Georgian citizens were killed, was the worst plane crash in Iran for six years.
Air safety experts have said Iran has a poor record, with a string of crashes in the past few decades — many involving Russian-made aircraft.
US sanctions against Iran have prevented it from buying new aircraft or spares from the West, forcing it to supplement its aging fleet of Boeing and Airbus planes with aircraft from the former Soviet Union.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization spokesman said a team of experts was investigating the incident and the public would be notified soon about the cause of the incident.
A senior transport official said on Friday that the incoming aircraft had overshot the runway.
“Instead of landing at the beginning of the tarmac, the plane landed in the middle of the runway,” the ISNA news agency quoted deputy transport minister Ahmad Majidi as saying. “Because the tarmac’s length is short, it went off the tarmac and crashed into the opposite wall.”
Iran’s TV showed images of the plane with its front completely damaged and said the accident was because of a malfunction in the aircraft’s wheels.
Iranian media reported that the pilot was among the dead.
State TV said the flying license of Aria Aviation Company had been suspended until an investigation into the plane crash was completed. Mashhad is a popular pilgrimage destination for Shiite Muslims who make up the majority of Iran’s population.
PARLIAMENT CHAOS: Police forcibly removed Brazilian Deputy Glauber Braga after he called the legislation part of a ‘coup offensive’ and occupied the speaker’s chair Brazil’s lower house of Congress early yesterday approved a bill that could slash former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence for plotting a coup, after efforts by a lawmaker to disrupt the proceedings sparked chaos in parliament. Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year term since last month after his conviction for a scheme to stop Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election. Lawmakers had been discussing a bill that would significantly reduce sentences for several crimes, including attempting a coup d’etat — opening up the prospect that Bolsonaro, 70, could have his sentence cut to
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro on Friday said that his father, jailed former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, has chosen him to lead the country’s powerful conservative movement, shaking up next year’s election race. The 44-year-old senator said on social media that he will carry forward the political legacy that reshaped Brazilian politics. His announcement makes him an instant contender for the presidency. Jair Bolsonaro, 70, is unlikely to run after being sentenced to 27 years for plotting a coup and banned from public office. He is appealing and seeking a legislative pardon. The former president also faces serious health issues, including complications from a
RSS