Heavy.com News Ukrainian Airlines Plane Crash: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
The tragic news comes after great unrest on the evening of January 7, 2020 (US time – the plane crashed in the morning in Tehran), with Iran launching missiles at Iraqi bases that house American soldiers. However, there’s been no evidence of a connection, with both Ukraine and Iran claiming engine malfunction is the more likely cause. The Canadian network, CBC, reported, though, that Ukrainian officials initially agreed with the technical problem cause claim, but “later backed away and declined to offer a cause while the investigation is ongoing.”
Photos that emerged from the scene are grim and somewhat graphic (they show body bags); what they don’t show is much left of the jet, Flight PS752, as relief workers picked through the wreckage looking, to no avail, for survivors. The plane was doomed only two minutes after taking off at 6:10 a.m. from Tehran.
Farnaz Fassihi, a New York Times journalist, reported on Twitter that all people on board the plane are dead. “Plane went down into ball of flames,” she wrote. A France24 corresponded tweeted that, according to the Red Crescent Society relief agency in Iran, “There is no chance of finding passengers alive after the crash.” Iranian state media also reported that all died.
1. The Passenger List Includes Many Canadians & Iranians But Also People From Five Other Countries
The wreckage.– 82 Iranians
– 63 Canadians
– 11 Ukrainians
– 10 Swedes
– 4 Afghans
– 3 Germans
– 3 British nationals
According to Kyiv Post, most of the plane’s passengers were ultimately destined for Toronto.
The names of the three British victims have now been released. They are Sam Zokaei, Mohammad Reza Kadkhoda-Zadeh, and Saeed Tahmasebi.
According to UK Mirror, Kadkhoda-Zadeh, 40, was a father of one who was visiting family in Iran for Christmas and lived in Brighton. The site reports that Saeed was originally from Iran and “had been on his way back to the UK with his wife, who he had only recently married.” Zokaei “worked for BP as a senior reservoir engineer and lived in London,” according to Mirror.
Dad and newlywed among three Britons named as victims of Iran plane crash | London Evening Standard https://t.co/MVRni65qlB— Gindy (@Gindy) January 8, 2020
According to CBC, 167 of the dead were passengers and 9 were crew members. Staff at Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv told The Associated Press that “passengers on this flight are usually Iranian students returning to Ukraine after winter holidays,” CBC reported.
“Tragic news regarding Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752,” wrote Canada’s minister of government affairs, François-Philippe Champagne. “Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians. I have been in touch with the government of Ukraine. We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves. #PS752.”
Tragic news regarding Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians. I have been in touch with the government of Ukraine. We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves. #PS752— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) January 8, 2020
The Iranian news agency, IRNA, reported that the dead included Iranians, among them “a young student.” IRNA is now reporting that 179 people died on the plane and that the bodies retrieved so far were not in good condition.
Kyiv Post says most of the passengers “were foreign citizens using Kyiv as a stopover for further travels.” The newspaper quoted the head of the airline, Yevhen Dykhne, as saying, “I guarantee that all of our planes are fit to fly. There weren’t any problems with the plane.”
2. Iranian Media & the Ukrainian Embassy Say Preliminary Information Pinpoints Engine Failure as the Cause
Photos and video emerged of the Iran plane crash in Tehran of an Ukrainian passenger plane The president of Ukraine warned against speculation, writing on Facebook, “I ask everyone to keep from speculating and putting forth unconfirmed theories about the crash.”
Iran is refusing to hand over the black boxes from the flight, according to CNN. CBC reported that the “pilot couldn’t communicate with air-traffic controllers in Tehran in the last moments of the flight.”
Flight Radar 24 wrote, “We are following reports that a Ukrainian 737-800 has crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran. #PS752 departed Tehran at 02:42UTC. Last ADS-B data received at 02:44UTC.” Kyiv Post reported that the plane was new when the airline received it in 2016.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Facebook: “Scary news from the Middle East.
This morning, after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport (Tehran), the passenger aircraft of Ukraine International Airlines crashed — crashed near the airport. According to preliminary reports, all passengers and crew were killed. Our embassy clarifies information about the circumstances of the tragedy and the death toll. My sincere condolences to the family and friends of all passengers and crew.”
The earliest reports indicated that the plane had technical problems. However, CNN reported that those reports came from “Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA.”
Read Complete Editorial Here
Posts
