Russian-built aircraft crash-lands in Iran after catching fire

The Times: At least 42 people were hurt when the back of the Russian-made Tupolev aircraft was set alight, the IRNA state news agency said. The Times

Foreign Staff

At least 42 people were hurt when the back of the Russian-made Tupolev aircraft was set alight, the IRNA state news agency said.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that “weather conditions and visibility problems were most likely behind the incident”.

Gholamreza Massoumi, the head of Iran’s emergency medical services, said: “About 42 passengers, out of 157 aboard, were injured.”

A senior local official said that there were no serious injuries in the crash. Part of the runway at the airport, which is in the northeast of the country, was damaged in the fire. There have been several crashes in Iran in the past few decades and many of them have involved Russian-made aircraft.

US sanctions against the regime have prevented it from buying new aircraft or spare parts from the West, forcing it to add to its ageing fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft from Russia and other former Soviet Union states.

Last year, in what was the worst aircraft crash in Iran for six years, a Tupolev aircraft crashed in Iran on its way to Armenia, after catching fire mid-air. The aircraft crashed into farmland, killing all 168 passengers and crew on board.