Sixty-six people including a child have been killed after a plane crashed in a mountainous area of Iran.
The ATR-72 commercial plane was travelling from Tehran to the southern city of Yasuj in Isfahan province when it came down in the Zagros mountains.
The twin-engine turboprop, used for short-distance regional flying, is said to have collided with Mount Dena, which is 14,435 feet tall.
Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai said there had been 60 passengers on board flight Flight EP3704, including a child, and six crew members.
“After searching the area, we learned that, unfortunately … our dear passengers had lost their lives,” he said.
“This plane had 60 passengers, 59 adults and one child, as well as a pilot, a co-pilot, two flight attendants and two air marshals on board.”
The plane reportedly vanished from radar 20 minutes after taking off at 0433 GMT before crashing some 780 kilometres (485 miles) south of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
It gave its last signal at 0555 GMT when the flight was at 16,975 feet and descending, according to FlightRadar24.
Witnesses told local media the plane looked like it was trying to make an emergency landing before it crashed.
Dense fog meant a rescue helicopter was unable to get to the crash site immediately.
ALSO READ: Saudi, UAE envoys bid to end standoff in Yemen’s Aden
The Iranian Red Crescent deployed a search and rescue team to the site near the city of Semirom in Isfahan province.
and then