SHAHEDSHAHR, Iran (AP) – A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people has crashed just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board.
The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers, but both Ukrainian and Iranian officials said they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Ukraine’s foreign minister says Iranian, Canadian, Ukrainian, Swedish, Afghan, British and German nationals were among those killed in Wednesday’s crash.
