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A Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) on Wednesday crashed in Iran, killing all the 176 people on board.
The plane went down and burst into flames shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport due to technical problems, according to Iran’s state television.
The Flight PS 752, a three-year-old Boeing 737-NG make, was heading to Kyiv when it crashed, according to air tracking service FlightRadar24.
Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko said 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainian nationals died in the crash. Also dead are 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals.
This is the first fatal incident involving a plane belonging to Kyiv-based UIA, which was founded in 1992. The airline has a fleet of 42 planes made up of various Boeings including 737-800s and 737-900s as well as Embraer aircraft.
Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority said Iran will not handover the BlackBox from the ill-fated aircraft to US plane-maker Boeing, Mehr News reported.
In a statement on Twitter, Boeing said: “This is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customers and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed.”