Cargo Aircraft Crashes near Tehran (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A cargo plane crashed in Iran's northern city of Karaj, west of Tehran, on Monday morning.
The Boeing 707, a four-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, crashed after catching fire while landing, local reports said.
The doomed aircraft, carrying 16 crew, was bound for an airport near the city of Karaj.
Television images of Monday’s crash showed the plane burning on the ground.
Fire trucks and rescue teams have rushed to the crash site.
Iran’s Army in a statement confirmed the crash, saying that the aircraft had taken off from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
“A Boeing cargo 707 plane carrying meat from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan had an emergency landing at Fath airport today ... the flight engineer has been dispatched to the hospital,” the statement said.
Fifteen of the 16 people on board were killed, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted Kyrgyzstan’s Manas airport officials as saying that the aircraft belonged to Iran’s Payam Air, rejecting earlier reports suggesting that it belonged to Kyrgyzstan.
