Boeing 737 Crashes In Iran, More Than 170 Dead

The story was updated to reflect the number of victims.

A Boeing 737 aircraft of The Boeing Company BA carrying at least 170 passengers crashed shortly after departing the Imam Khomeini airport in Iran on Wednesday due to technical glitches, the state-run Iranian Students News Agency reported.

The aircraft, belonging to the Ukraine International Airlines, was headed to the Boryspil International Airport in Ukraine's capital Kiev, according to ISNA.

The news agency shared a video of the crash on Twitter. Whether any of those onboard survived the accident isn't yet known.

نخستین ویدئو از سقوط هواپیمای اوکراینی اطراف شهریار pic.twitter.com/M3bZiLLryQ

— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) January 8, 2020

"The plane is on fire but we have sent crews ... and we may be able to save some passengers," Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency services, told IRNA, as translated by Reuters.

Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft line has been grounded since March last year, after two fatal crashes involving the aircraft left 346 people dead. Latest internal audit revealed design flaws in wiring and engine panel of the troubled aircraft.

Iranian state TV announced that all the passengers were killed during the crash.

“The fire is so heavy that we cannot (do) any rescue... we have 22 ambulances, four bus ambulances and a helicopter at the site,” head of Iran’s emergency services Pirhossein Koulivand said.

The story is developing.