Report: Plane crashes in Southern Iran, killing all 66 aboard

Relatives of a passenger who was believed to have been killed in a plane crash react near the town of Semirom, Iran, Feb. 18, 2017. (REUTERS/Tasnim News Agency)

An Iranian domestic airliner has crashed into the country’s Zagros mountains, killing all 65 people on board, Iran’s official news agency IRNA said.

Earlier reports said there were 66 people on board.

The flight had left Tehran Sunday morning for the city of Yasuj in Isfahan province, a flight of some 560 kilometers.

The Iranian Red Crescent said it has deployed teams to the area, but the weather was reported to be bad and helicopters could not land near the crash site.

Decades of international sanctions have left Iran with an aging commercial airline fleet and accidents have increased in recent years.

Following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran signed agreements with both Airbus and Boeing to buy new planes. | via Voice of America

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