The Iranian military has located the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed with 65 people on board, the Revolutionary Guards told state television today, two days after the plane disappeared from radar in mountainous central Iran.
The Aseman Airlines flight from Tehran crashed on Sunday 50 minutes into its journey to the southwestern city of Yasuj. No one is expected to have survived.
Glacial temperatures and mountainous terrain hampered search and rescue efforts, adding to the grief and anger felt by families of the victims and wider society in a country that blames decades of sanctions for the poor state of its planes.
The wreckage was finally spotted by a military drone, Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif said.
“Two helicopters were sent to the coordinates that the drone had located, and found the wreckage,” told state television.
“The plane had hit top of the mountain before crashing 30 metres (yards) further down.”
Helicopters and mountain rescue personnel from the armed forces and the Red Crescent, as well as local volunteers, were involved in the search.
Iran asked European countries and China to help the search operation with their satellite imagery, the deputy head of the Iranian Space Agency, Mojtaba Saradeghi, was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.
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