Ukrainian jet crashes in Iran

Name: WORLD
Price range: $

A rescue worker searches through debris from a plane crash outside Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. Associated Press/Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi

All 167 passengers and nine crew members died after a Ukrainian airliner went down about 10 minutes after it departed Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet bound for Kyiv had passengers on board from Britain, Canada, Iran, Sweden, and other countries.

What caused the crash? Qassem Biniaz, a spokesman for the Iranian Road and Transportation Ministry, said a fire started in one of the plane’s engines before the pilot lost control. The crash had no apparent connection to Iran’s ballistic missile strikes on two Iraqi bases that house U.S. forces on Wednesday morning, but Iranian officials have refused to turn over to Boeing the plane’s black box.

Dig deeper: Read a Bloomberg report on the history of the plane known as the 737 NG (“Next Generation”), which was a predecessor to Boeing’s troubled 737 Max but had an excellent safety record.

Onize Ohikere

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks