BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

The engine of the Ukrainian plane that crashed near Parand city of Iran’s Tehran province, caught fire, Director of the Center for Communication and Information of Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development Qasem Biniaz said, Trend reports via IRNA.

Biniaz added that the Boeing 737 owned by the Ukraine International Airlines wasn’t shot down by a missile.

“If the plane had been shot down, it would have exploded in the air,” the director noted.

According to Iranian sources, a Ukrainian Boeing 737 with 167 passengers (including Iranian and foreign citizens) and 9 crew members on board crashed after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran due to technical issues. The plane crashed at 6:22 (GMT +3:30).

The plane was heading for Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.