45 people killed in Iranian plane crash

An IranAir passenger plane with 95 on board crashed in the country's north-west region today, killing almost half of those on board.

The rest of those on the plane survived with light injuries, Iranian media reported.

The Boeing-727 crashed shortly before it was to land in the city of Orumiyeh, 460 miles north-west of the capital, Tehran, said Abbas Mosayebi, spokesman of the Iranian civil aviation organisation, state TV reported.

The semi-official Fars news agency quoted the head of the State Emergency Centre, Gholam Reza Masoumi, as saying 50 people survived with light injuries. That report said there was bad weather and fog in the area.

Iran has a history of frequent air accidents blamed on its ageing aircraft and poor maintenance. In July 2009 a Russian-made jetliner crashed in north-west Iran shortly after taking off from the capital, killing all 168 on board.

In February 2003, a Russian-made Ilyushin 76 carrying members of the Revolutionary Guard crashed in the mountains of south-eastern Iran, killing 302 people aboard.