Operated by Iranian carrier Aseman Airlines, the plane crashed near the town of Semirom after taking off from Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, news agency ISNA quoted emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi as saying.

The ATR-made plane was on a flight to the southwestern city of Yasuj and a spokesman for the airline said there were 60 passengers and six crew aboard.

Rescue helicopters were unable to land at the probable crash site because of heavy fog and emergency workers were searching the mountainous area by land, the television report said.

“Heavy snow is making it difficult for rescuers to find the site of the crash,” a television reporter accompanying rescue teams told state television.

Media reports said the twin-engined turboprop ATR 72 disappeared from radar screens 50 minutes after taking off from Mehrabad airport.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani issued messages of condolences and the president asked the transport minister to lead an investigation into the crash. </s> Sixty-six people have been killed in a passenger plane crash in Iran, airline company officials say.

The Aseman Airlines plane, en route from Tehran to the south-western city of Yasuj, came down in the Zagros mountains of central Iran.

The Red Crescent has deployed a search and rescue team to the site near the city of Semirom in Isfahan province.

The plane left Tehran at 05:00 local time (01:30 GMT) and disappeared from radar later.

A local official said bad weather had hampered a helicopter search.

“All emergency forces are on alert,” a spokesman said.

The plane is believed to be a 20-year-old ATR 72-500.

Reports say those on board were 60 passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot.

11 February: Russian Antonov An-148 crashes minutes after leaving Moscow’s Domodedovo airport with 71 people on board. The plane was en route to the city of Orsk in the Ural mountains when it crashed near the village of Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow.

No passenger jet crashes – safest year on record for commercial airlines

25 December: Russian military Tu-154 jet airliner crashes in the Black Sea, with the loss of all 92 passengers and crew. </s> Plane crashes in central Iran, all 65 people on board feared dead

All 65 passengers and crew are feared dead in a plane crash in central Iran after the domestic flight came down in bad weather in a mountainous region.

A spokesman for Iranian carrier Aseman Airlines had told state television everyone was killed, but the airline then issued a statement saying it could not reach the crash site and could not "accurately and definitely confirm" everyone died.

The airline had also initially said 60 passengers and six crew were on board the twin-engined turboprop ATR 72 that was flying to the south-western city of Yasuj. But it later said there were a total of 65 people on board, as one passenger had missed the flight.

The crash of the ATR-72 marks yet another fatal aviation disaster for Iran, which for years was barred from buying airplane parts for needed maintenance due to Western sanctions over its contested nuclear program.

The Aseman-operated plane crashed near the town of Semirom after taking off from Tehran's Mehrabad airport, emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi told ISNA news agency.

As night approached, bad weather prevented helicopters searching the probable crash site but emergency workers were scouring the mountainous area by land, the television said.

"It is getting colder and darker and still no sign of the plane," said a television reporter accompanying rescue teams searching snow-covered areas in Mount Dena, which has more than 40 peaks higher than 4,000 metres.

Media reports said the plane disappeared from radar screens 50 minutes after taking off from Mehrabad airport in the south-west of the capital.

The President asked the transport minister to lead an investigation into the crash.

Aircraft had been 'grounded' for seven years

Aseman Airlines, owned by Iran's civil service pension foundation, is a semi-private air carrier headquartered in Tehran and specialises in flights to remote airfields across the country. It also flies internationally.

It is Iran's third-largest airline by fleet size, behind state carrier Iran Air and Mahan Air.

The carrier has a fleet of 29 aircraft, including six ATR aircraft, according to FlightRadar24, a plane-tracking website.

The ATR-72 that crashed on Sunday had been built in 1993, Aseman Airlines chief executive Ali Abedzadeh told state TV.

On Instagram, Aseman Airlines highlighted the doomed aircraft in October, saying it had been "grounded" for seven years but would be "repaired and will be operational after checking and testing".

It wasn't clear what led to the grounding, though Iran only recently regained access to the airplane parts market after the nuclear deal.

European airplane manufacturer ATR, a Toulouse, France-based partnership of Airbus and Italy's Leonardo SpA, said it had no immediate information about the crash.



Under decades of international sanctions, Iran's commercial passenger aircraft fleet has aged, with air accidents occurring regularly in recent years.

Following the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, Iran signed deals with both Airbus and Boeing to buy scores of passenger planes worth tens of billions of dollars.

In April 2017, ATR sealed a $536-million ($677 million) sale with Iran Air for at least 20 aircraft.

Chicago-based Boeing also signed a $3 billion ($3.79 billion) deal that month to sell 30 737 MAX aircraft to Aseman Airlines.

Home to 80 million people, Iran represents one of the last untapped aviation markets in the world.

However, Western analysts are sceptical that there is demand for so many jets or available financing for deals worth billions of dollars.

Iran has suffered a series of major aviation disasters in recent decades.

The last major crash in Iran happened in January 2011, when an Iran Air Boeing 727 broke to pieces on impact while trying an emergency landing in a snowstorm in north-western Iran, killing at least 77 people.

In July 2009, a Russian-made jetliner crashed in north-western Iran shortly after taking off from Tehran, killing all 168 on board.

A Russian-made Ilyushin 76 carrying members of the Revolutionary Guard crashed in the mountains of south-eastern Iran in February 2003, killing 302 people.

In February 1993, an Iranian airliner with 132 people aboard collided with an air force jet after take off from Tehran's main airport, killing everyone on the two aircraft.

And in July 1988, the USS Vincennes in the Strait of Hormuz mistook an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai for an attacking fighter jet, shooting down the plane and killing all 290 people aboard. </s> Iranian search and rescue teams on Monday reached the site of a plane crash 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 short-distance regional flying, went down Sunday in foggy weather, crashing into Mount Dena in a remote area of 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. </s> Image copyright Mehrad Watson Image caption Aseman operates the ATR 72-500

Sixty-six people are feared to have been killed in a passenger plane crash in the Zagros mountains in Iran.

The Aseman Airlines plane, en route from Tehran to the south-western city of Yasuj, came down near the city of Semirom in Isfahan province.

The Red Crescent deployed search and rescue teams to the site. The airline has retracted a statement saying definitively that all aboard were dead.

Flight EP3704 left Tehran at 04:30 GMT, and crashed about an hour later.

The aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop, came down on Dena Mountain, 22km (14 miles) from Yasuj, news channel Irinn reported.

Sixty passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot were on board.

The airline initially said everyone had been killed, but said later: "Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we cannot accurately and definitely confirm the death of all passengers of this plane."

Bad weather, including fog and heavy snow, has hampered rescue efforts. Emergency teams have had to travel to the crash site by land rather than using a helicopter.

Passengers' relatives have gathered at a mosque near Tehran's Mehrabad airport, according to Reuters news agency.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Grieving relatives gathered at Mehrabad airport in Tehran

"I can't bring myself to believe it," said one woman whose husband was on board.

One man told Tabnak news website that he had missed the flight.

Showing an unused ticket as proof, he said: "God has been really kind to me but I am so sad from the bottom of my heart for all those dear ones who lost their lives."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani expressed sympathy for all involved, saying, in a statement, that the incident brought "great grief and sorrow".

Iran has suffered several aviation accidents in recent years and has an ageing aircraft fleet.

The country has struggled to obtain spare parts to maintain its planes in the face of international sanctions imposed to curb its nuclear programme.

Those sanctions have been mostly lifted under a 2015 deal between Iran and the US alongside several other powers.

Aseman, Iran's third largest airline, signed a contract with Boeing last year to buy 30 of its latest medium-range 737s.

The crashed plane, a French-Italian-made ATR 72-500, was 25 years old, Iran's civil aviation organisation said.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also expressed "deep sympathy" for relatives of those on board, saying the accident "saddened the hearts".

Recent major air crashes in Iran

2014

August - Sepahan airways Antonov carrying 40 crashes shortly after take-off from Tehran, killing 39 - engine failure blamed

2011

January - IranAir Boeing 727 breaks up on landing in snowstorm in north-west, killing 78

2009

Caspian Airlines Tupolev bound for Armenia from Tehran catches fire shortly after take-off killing all 168 on board

Major air disasters timeline

2017 safest year for air travel

Air France jet engine fails mid-flight </s> A passenger plane crashed in a mountainous region in southern Iran on Sunday, killing all 65 people on board, an airline spokesman told Iran state television.

Aseman Airlines Flight No. 3704 came down near the city of Yasuj, about 485 miles south of Tehran, the airline said. The ATR-72 — a twin-engine turboprop — was near its destination when it crashed into Mount Dena while carrying 59 passengers and six crew members, Iran Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai told state TV.

State-run IRNA news agency initially reported that 66 people were on board.

"After searching the area, we learned that unfortunately ... our dear passengers had lost their lives," Tabatabai said.

Rescue helicopters heading to the scene couldn’t land near the crash site because of heavy fog, Reuters reported. Emergency workers were trying to reach the area by land, the semi-official Mehr news agency said. Other weather-related issues prevented rescuers from finding the plane.

“Heavy snow is making it difficult for rescuers to find the site of the crash,” a TV reporter stated.

The plane disappeared from radar screens about 50 minutes after departing from Tehran, according to local media reports.

It’s unclear what caused the crash.

The aircraft only began flights months ago after it was “grounded” for seven years. The airline posted a photo of the plane on Instagram saying it would be up and running after repairs were done and safety checks and tests were conducted. It’s unclear what caused the aircraft to be grounded for an extended time.

Iran Aseman Airlines is a semi-private air carrier headquartered in Tehran that specializes in flights to remote airfields across the country. It also flies internationally. The Iranian Red Crescent said it has deployed personnel to the area. Authorities said they would be investigating.

The carrier, owned by Iran's civil service pension foundation, has a fleet of 29 aircraft, including six ATR aircraft, according to FlightRadar24, a plane-tracking website. It is Iran's third-largest airline by fleet size, behind state carrier Iran Air and Mahan Air.

European airplane manufacturer ATR, a Toulouse, France-based partnership of Airbus and Italy's Leonardo S.p.A., said it had no immediate information about the crash. The manufacturer specializes in regional turboprop aircraft of 90 seats or less.

Under decades of international sanctions, Iran's commercial passenger aircraft fleet has aged, with air accidents occurring regularly in recent years.

Following the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, Iran signed deals with both Airbus and Boeing to buy scores of passenger planes worth tens of billions of dollars. U.S. politicians have expressed concern about the airplane sales to Iran. President Trump remains skeptical of the atomic accord overall and has refused to re-certify it, putting the deal in question.

Home to 80 million people, Iran represents one of the last untapped aviation markets in the world. However, Western analysts are skeptical that there is demand for so many jets or available financing for deals worth billions of dollars.

In April 2017, ATR sealed a $536 million sale with Iran Air for at least 20 aircraft. Chicago-based Boeing also signed a $3 billion deal that month to sell 30 737 MAX aircraft to Aseman Airlines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> All 66 passengers and crew are believed to have been killed in a plane crash in central Iran on Sunday, an airline spokesman said.

Operated by Iranian carrier Aseman Airlines, the domestic flight came down in bad weather in a mountainous region near the town of Semirom after taking off from Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, news agency ISNA reported.

The ATR-made plane was on a flight to the southwestern city of Yasuj and a spokesman for the airline said there were 60 passengers and six crew aboard.

Rescue helicopters were unable to land at the probable crash site because of heavy fog, and emergency workers were searching the mountainous area by land, the television report said.

“Heavy snow is making it difficult for rescuers to find the site of the crash,” a television reporter accompanying rescue teams told state television.

Media reports said the twin-engined turboprop ATR 72 disappeared from radar screens 50 minutes after taking off from Mehrabad airport.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani issued messages of condolences, and the president asked the transport minister to lead an investigation into the crash.

Mehrabad is located in western Tehran and mainly functions as a domestic airport, although it also serves some international routes.

Iran has suffered several plane crashes in the past few decades. Tehran says US sanctions have long prevented it from buying new aircraft or spare parts from the West. The crashed ATR was 25 years old, officials said.

Based in the southern French city of Toulouse, ATR is a joint venture between Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo–Reuters </s> In this photo provided by Tasnim News Agency, family members of plane crash victims weep in the village of Bideh, an area near where the plane crashed, southern Iran, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018. (AP)

TEHRAN: Iran's Press TV is reporting that search and rescue teams have reached the site of the plane crash that authorities say killed all 65 people on board.

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, went down on Sunday in foggy weather, crashing into Mount Dena in southern Iran.

The TV says search teams reached the crash site before dawn on Monday. The station said the weather had improved and broadcast footage of a helicopter joining the search.

Aseman Airlines said all on board Flight EP3704 were killed, including six crew members.

The crash 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. </s> TEHRAN, IRAN—Iranian search and rescue teams on Monday reached the site of a plane crash 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 short-distance regional flying, went down on Sunday in foggy weather, crashing into Mount Dena in a remote area of 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.

Read more: Iran plane crash kills all 65 people on board

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.
An Iran Aseman Airlines ATR 72 commercial aircraft carrying 59 passengers and 6 crew members crashes near the Iranian town of Semirom. The airline reports that there are no survivors.