Zelensky: Ukraine will be involved in probe into plane crash in Tehran, identification, repatriation of Ukrainian victims

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that representatives of Ukraine will be involved into the investigation into the plane crash in Tehran, identification and repatriation of Ukrainians who died in the tragedy.

"An extraordinary meeting of the government ended. Tonight, our plane with the experts from expert and search and rescue teams flies to Iran. Among them are representatives of the State Emergency Situations Service, the Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Security and Defense Council, the State Aviation Service, the National Bureau of Investigation of Accidents and Incidents with Civil Aircraft and Ukraine's International Airlines," he wrote on Facebook.

According to the president, all these people will be involved in the investigation, identification and repatriation of the bodies of Ukrainians who were killed in the plane crash.

"I am holding constant consultations with our foreign partners. Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe," Zelensky said.

As reported, the UIA's Boeing-737, which was supposed to perform a PS752 flight on the Tehran-Kyiv route, crashed at about 6:00 Tehran time (around 4:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, after takeoff from Tehran airport named after Imam Khomeini. Some 167 passengers and nine crew members were onboard. All of them died.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko reported that there were 11 citizens of Ukraine (nine crew members), 82 citizens of Iran, 63 passengers from Canada, 10 passengers from Sweden, four from Afghanistan, and per three from Germany and Great Britain.