Iranian rescue workers have spotted the bodies of 30 passengers of an Aseman Airliner that crashed with 66 people on board in the country’s mountainous southwest on Sunday.

Mountain climbers and rescue workers who had reached the site of the plane crash said on Tuesday that 15 of the bodies were identifiable, Fars news agency reported.

According to eyewitnesses, the plane is probably buried under avalanche.

Moreover, rescue and search operation at the 4,500 meter altitude is becoming extremely difficult due to the steep slope of the site of the crash as well as the two-meter snow in the area. Meanwhile, more snowfall is expected in the coming hours.

At present, seven helicopters as well as nearly 100 rescue workers and mountain climbers, including Himalayan climbers, are continuing the search operation in the area.

Debris spotted

Earlier in the day, Iranian forces had located the wreckage of the plane.

Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), told the Tasnim news agency that helicopters had spotted the wreckage on Tuesday morning.

A satellite image shows what seems to be debris and bodies at the crash site of the ill-fated Iranian airliner.

The head of the Isfahan Province medical emergency center said that helicopters could not land at the crash site to transfer the bodies due to adverse weather and topographical conditions.

The captain of the helicopter that spotted the wreckage said the plane had crashed 30 meters below a hilltop.

The fuselage has been broken into pieces and only a part bearing Aseman Airlines logo is visible, he added.

An official of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) had said earlier that 80 search teams were conducting an operation at Mount Dena in the Zagros mountain range after weather conditions improved.

Iranian search and rescue workers and a helicopter are seen at Mount Dena in the Zagros mountain range on February 19, 2018 as they search for the wreckage of a missing Aseman Airliner that crashed with 66 people on board in the country's southwest. (Photo by IRNA)

Four IRCS helicopters had flown over the region as part of efforts to find the crash site, he added.

Iran’s Air Force F-14 fighter jets also flew over Dena Mount while army parachutists and commandos along with mount climbers continued the ground search and rescue operations.

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72 plane was flying from the Iranian capital, Tehran, to the southwestern city of Yasuj on Sunday when it disappeared 50 minutes into the flight around the town of Semirom in Isfahan Province.

Meanwhile, the Isfahan Province emergency center said that a mobile phone had transmitted signals from a location near Mount Dena where helicopters did not manage to reach the previous day due to bad weather.

Iranian search and rescue workers are seen at Mount Dena in the Zagros mountain range on February 19, 2018 as they search for the wreckage of a missing Aseman Airliner that crashed with 66 people on board in the country's southwest. (Photo by IRNA)

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, also confirmed that the mobile phone of one of the passengers had been on after the crash and was sending signals from an area near the village of Kohangan.

An official at Iran Civil Aviation Organization said that the pilot had not declared an emergency situation and that the plane’s Emergency locator transmitter (ELT) had not transmitted signals after the incident. </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> 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. </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> 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> 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> 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> 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> TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — 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 short-distance 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 site is reportedly at a height of 3,500 meters (11,482 feet).

Following the landmark 2015 nuclear accord with world powers that lifted international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear enrichment program, Iran is allowed to purchase airplanes and airplane parts and has made deals worth tens of billions of dollars for new aircraft.

However, President Donald Trump’s refusal to recertify the deal has injected uncertainty into those sales.

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.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, although weather was severe. Dense fog, high winds and heavy snow in the Zagros Mountains made it impossible for rescue crews in helicopters to reach the site in the immediate aftermath, state television reported.

Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai told state TV that all on board Flight EP3704 were killed. The plane had 59 passengers and six crew members, the state-run IRNA news agency reported late Sunday, lowering the initially reported death toll of 66.

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Iranian forces have spotted the wreckage of the missing Aseman Airliner 30 meters below a hilltop on mount Dena. Helicopters could not land yet at the crash site due to weather and topographical conditions. 65 people are feared dead.