Three British nationals among dead in Ukrainian plane crash

Three British nationals among dead in Ukrainian plane crash
January 8, 2020, 9:35 am

Iran crash: Three British nationals among dead in Ukrainian plane crash AFP GETTY IMAGES

Three British nationals were on board the Ukrainian plane that crashed in Iran leaving no survivors, the Ukrainian foreign minister has said.

They were among the more than 170 people from seven countries on board the flight from Tehran to Kyiv, Vadym Prystaiko said.

Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 crashed just after taking off from Imam Khomeini airport at 06:12 local time (02:42 GMT).

The plane was serviced on Monday.

Among the victims were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians - including all of the crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans and three Germans, Mr Prystaiko said.

Rescue teams have been sent to the crash site but the head of Iran's Red Crescent told state media that it was "impossible" for anyone to have survived the crash.

Ukraine's embassy in Tehran and Iranian state television both initially said technical issues caused the crash.

But the embassy later removed this statement and said any comment regarding the cause of the accident prior to a commission's inquiry was not official.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against "speculation or unchecked theories regarding the catastrophe" until official reports were ready.

He said Ukraine's entire civil aviation fleet would be checked for airworthiness and criminal proceedings would be opened into the disaster.

Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA) said its flight from Tehran to Kyiv disappeared from radar just a "few minutes" after take-off.

In a statement on its website, the Ukrainian national carrier said according to preliminary data there were 167 passengers and nine crew members on board but its staff were "clarifying the exact number".

"The airline expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the air crash and will do everything possible to support the relatives of the victims," the statement said.