Ukraine aircraft crashes in Iran with 176 people aboard

A Ukrainian Boeing-737 with 176 people on board has crashed in Iran shortly after takeoff, local officials officials said.

The Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed just after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, according to the Fars state news agency. The plane was flying to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Passengers included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons, Ukraine foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko said in a statement.

The Ukrainian embassy to Iran said preliminary information suggested engine failure caused the crash, rather than a missile attack or act of terrorism.

Iran’s Red Crescent has said there was no chance of finding survivors. An Iranian emergency official later told state TV all those on board were killed in the crash.

“The plane crashed five minutes after taking off,” said civil aviation spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh. “The pilot had no contact with the tower and didn’t announce an emergency situation before the crash.”