Iran Aseman Airlines ATR72 crashed February 18th
Iran Aseman Airlines ATR72 passenger plane crashed in Zagros Mountains in Iran on February 18, 2018. All 66 people onboard the flight EP3704 are presumed to be dead.
The plane departed Tehran Mehrabad International Airports at 8:00 AM en route to Yasuj, southwest of Iran. Approximately 50 minutes into the flight, the plane disappeared from radars as it hit Dena Mountain (part of Zagros Mountains), the airline noted in a statement on social media.
There were 66 people onboard. 60 passengers, four crew members (two pilots and two flight attendants) and two members of security forces are presumably dead, but the casualties cannot be confirmed until the wreckage is recovered.
Mohammad Tabatabaie, Aseman Airlines spokesperson, told ISNA news agency: “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”.
Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site, but bad weather conditions, fog and heavy snow have prevented emergency teams from using helicopters to reach the crash site.
In a statement on social media, Aseman Airlines revealed that one of the pilots of the crashed plane was captain Hojjatallah, describing him as a very experienced pilot who had previously successfully avoided a similar accident. According to the airline, back in 2013 Hojjatallah safely landed in Yasuj airport following an emergency situation when the second engine of ATR72 went out during a flight from Tehran to Yasul.
