Iran plane crash pushes death toll to 77

TEHRAN (ISNA)-Deadly plane crash in northwestern Iran pushed death toll to 77 and left some 26 others injured.

The Head of crisis management organization of Iranian Ministry of Road and Transportation Ahmad Majidi said, "105 people including 94 passengers and 11 crew members were on board at the time of the incident."

The aircraft was heading from capital Tehran to northwestern city of Orumiyeh.

"26 wounded individuals are hospitalized in Orumiyeh, one of them in critical condition," Majidi told ISNA adding an individual has went missing in the accident.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Road and Transportation confirmed the plane was wrecked and said, "the pilot intended to return to Tehran after bad weather had made it impossible for him pilot to land."

He also said, "pilot was dead after the crash."

The pilot reported to lack enough sight to land at the airport was made to bring down the plane in farmland where the accident occurred.

"3 crew members are alive," he said adding, "the black box has not been found, off course a device was found by local people and rescue teams and delivered to West Azerbaijan province's gubernatorial officials."

He stressed it is still unclear whether the device is black box or not.

The dead include 12 women and 42 men, but the identities of other 23 people have not been found yet.

He added the injured include18 men and 9 women.

The Boeing 727 operated by Iran's national airline crashed at 19:45 pm local time on Sunday.

End Item