Ukrainian plane with 170 people aboard crashes after takeoff in Tehran

A Ukrainian passenger plane with at least 170 people on board crashed shortly after take-off from the international airport south of the Iranian capital Tehran, local media reported.

Ali Khashani, a senior public relations official at the Imam Khomeini International Airport, said the Boeing 737 — which was bound for Kiev— went down early Wednesday in the vicinity of Parand, a city in Robat Karim County, Tehran Province.

The crash was likely due to technical difficulties, the Fars news agency reported.

Rescue teams have been sent to the site of the crash, said Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, saying there were 170 passengers aboard.