A Boeing 737 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines has crashed due to technical problems after take-off from Iran’s Imam Khomeini airport with 180 passengers and crew aboard, the semi-official Fars news agency tweeted on Wednesday.
The semi-official Fars news agency tweeted:
Reports: #Ukrainian plane with 180 passengers aboard crashes near #Iran's Imam Khomeini Airport due to technical issues
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) January 8, 2020
There was no further information immediately available.
US civil flights banned over Gulf, Iraq, Iran: regulator
The US Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf following rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq.
"The (FAA) issues Notices to Airmen tonight outlining flight restrictions that prohibit US civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman," it said in a statement. "The FAA will continue closely monitoring events in the Middle East."
Intense military jet activity over Iraq capital
Military jets could be seen flying over the Iraqi capital early Wednesday, hours after Tehran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases where US troops are located.
AFP correspondents saw jets cutting through the clouds over Baghdad but could not immediately identify the planes. Iran´s strikes came in response to a US drone attack last week that martyred top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
