Small passenger plane crashes in Iran, 39 killed, nine survive

Tehran, Aug 10: Thirty-nine people were killed while nine survived after a small Iranian passenger jet crashed while taking off from the Mehrabad Aiarport here on Sunday, the country's state media IRNA said.

It was said that the plane, an Iran-141 jet used for short domestic flights, crashed in a residential area. Seven children were on board the ill-flated flight.

Iranian state television said it was a Taban Air flight.

2014 has been one of the worst years in aviation safety

Iran has seen a series of plane crashes in recent years. It is said that the ageing aircraft and poor maintenance have caused the accidents. Many of IranAir's Boeing aircraft were bought before the country's Islamic Revolution in 1979, which had disrupted Tehran's relation with the West.

The Iran-141 is a small plane produced with Ukrainian technology.

This is the fourth instance of air crash since July 17 when a Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down in Ukraine by militants, killing nearly 300 people on board. Two more crashes occurred in Taiwan and Mali in July end, making 2014 one of the worst years in recent times in terms of aviation safety.

In March, another Malaysian aircraft MH370 went missing soon after taking off for Beijing. The plane, with over 200 passengers, could not be found again despite a massive hunting operation initiated by several countries.

Oneindia News