Iraq official says plane from Turkey not shot down

BAGHDAD, Jan 10 (Reuters) A plane crash that killed 31 people flying from Turkey to Iraq yesterday is believed to be the result of a ''technical failure'', an Iraqi transport ministry official said today.

Officials have made no suggestion of hostile fire, although an Iraqi rebel group claimed it had shot the plane down.

''It was not shot down,'' Transport Ministry media director Ahmed Abdul Wahab told Reuters. ''It is believed to have been a technical failure but the investigation is continuing,'' he said.

He added that it crashed near a US base so US.

authorities were handling the matter and he had no more details.

US military officials said today they had no information on the crash.

Turkish officials have said 31 people were killed in the crash which happened as the Moldovan Antonov-26 tried to land in foggy conditions near Balad, north of Baghdad.

The plane, which took off from the Turkish city of Adana early yesterday, was carrying about 35 people including 30 construction workers, the Turkish officials said. Apart from the 31 dead, one person was injured and three were missing, a Foreign Ministry official said.

REUTERS AKJ DS1237