An Iranian passenger plane crashed in Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport killing 45 people on board and injuring three others.
Sepahan Air Flight 5915 crashed shortly after taking off in Mehrabad Airport at 9:15 a.m. (Iran time) on Sunday. The flight, bound for Tabas in eastern Iran, was carrying 40 passengers and 8 crew. Five of those killed in the crash were reported to be children. The plane crashed on a residential area some 500 meters away from a public market.
Five passengers were reported to have jumped from the plane while crashing. Three of them survived and are now being treated for injuries.
The plane was an Iran-140 model, a twin-engine turboprop plane used for domestic flights.
The crash is the latest in a series of several aviation incidents in Iran. The incidents are attributed to outdated planes and poor maintenance. Iranian aviation operators also cannot purchase new planes and parts due to international economic sanctions on Iran.
