Iran plane crash: At least 39 dead as airliner crashes near Mehrabad Airport in Tehran
A civilian airliner has crashed moments after it took off from Iran's capital Tehran, killing at least 39 people on board and narrowly avoiding more fatalities on the ground.
The plane was headed from Mehrabad Airport to the eastern city of Tabas when it crashed about 9:18am on Sunday (local time).
It plummeted into the Azadi neighbourhood, just west of central Tehran, close to a residential area for military families.
Initial reports said all 48 passengers and crew on board had been killed, but state media later reported that some passengers had been injured and transferred to hospital.
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said eight or nine had survived and quoted a doctor as saying that one of the injured had regained consciousness.
The passengers included two infants and three children under the age of 12, IRNA said.
Initial reports said that all of the 48 passengers and crew had been killed, but state media later reported some passengers had been injured and transferred to hospital.
Iran's deputy transport minister Ahmad Majidi said the Antonov An-140 turboprop plane was run by Sepahan Airlines.
An engine shutdown caused the plane to crash, according to IRNA.
An aircraft tailfin bearing Sepahan's dolphin logo could be seen sticking out of the road as security forces cordoned off the crash site.
Black smoke billowed from the wreckage, with officials saying the plane hit a wall and trees close to a market.
"The scene was terrible, with the back of the plane in the middle of the street," one eyewitness told the AFP news agency.
"We were lucky because there was a market 500 metres away and a lot of people were there."
Another eyewitness told state television: "I was on my motorbike and I heard something behind me. I turned around and it was a plane, so I got on to the ground because it was so close."
A spokesman for Tehran's fire department was quoted by IRNA as saying the bodies are being transported to the coroner's office.
"The plane crashed in trees. There were no casualties on the ground," said Alireza Jahangirian, the head of Iran's civil aviation authority.
Mehrabad Airport is near central Tehran and is Iran's main domestic hub and by far the busiest of the country's airports, serving routes to all Iranian cities.
Most international flights take off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, which is located further west of the Iranian capital.
Iran's aviation sector has suffered repeated crashes, which have been blamed by Iranian politicians on international sanctions.
Those sanctions have restricted Iranian carriers from buying new aircraft.
For years, planes have been kept in service through parts imported on the black market, cannibalised from other planes or reproduced locally, aviation sources say.
Iran's four largest carriers - Iran Air, Iran Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran Air Tours - all have average fleet ages above 22 years, Iranian media have reported. They serve a market of 76 million people.
United States companies Boeing and General Electric have said they are seeking to export parts to Iran under the agreement for sanctions relief.
Iran Air's chief said the airline will need at least 100 passenger jets once sanctions against the country are lifted.
