Rescue team members check the debris from a plane crash belonging to Ukraine International Airlines after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport, on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran January 8, 2020. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

KIEV (Reuters) - Engine failure caused the crash of a Ukrainian airliner in Iran, rather than a missile attack or act of terrorism, the Ukrainian embassy to Iran said on Wednesday, citing preliminary information.

In a statement, the embassy also said that 168 people had bought tickets for the flight.