A passenger plane bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has crashed a few minutes after taking off from Tehran’s main international airport, killing 176 people.

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

Victims of the crash included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons, according to Ukraine’s foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko. “We express our condolences. The Ukrainian authorities continue to investigate,” Prystaiko said.

Airline officials said most of the passengers were en route to the Ukrainian capital, transiting through there to other destinations.

“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.”

Source: https://theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/08/iran-plane-crash-ukraine-boeing-180-tehran