Sixty-six people are feared to have been killed in a passenger plane crash in the Zagros mountains in Iran.
The Aseman Airlines plane, en route from Tehran to the south-western city of Yasuj, came down near the city of Semirom in Isfahan province. The Red Crescent deployed search and rescue teams to the site. The airline has retracted a statement saying definitively that all aboard were dead.
Flight EP3704 left Tehran at 04:30 GMT, and crashed about an hour later. The aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop, came down on Dena Mountain, 22km (14 miles) from Yasuj, news channel Irinn reported. Sixty passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot were on board.
The airline initially said everyone had been killed, but said later: «Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we cannot accurately and definitely confirm the death of all passengers of this plane.»
Bad weather, including fog and heavy snow, has hampered rescue efforts. Emergency teams have had to travel to the crash site by land rather than using a helicopter.
Passengers’ relatives have gathered at a mosque near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, according to Reuters news agency.