Wreckage of Crashed Plane Found in Central Iran

The plane’s debris was found near the peak of Dena Mountain in southern Isfahan province, into which the plane has crashed.

The chopper pilot who found the wreckage says the crash could be avoided if the plane was flying only 50 metres higher. The flight altitude has been way lower than what it was supposed to be and the reason will become clear once the black box is found.

Several search and rescue teams had been searching the mountainous regions near Semirom where the airliner with 65 people on board crashed on Sunday, but the operation was hampered by severe weather.

The operation started shortly after the tragic incident on Sunday noon, but it was stopped in the night and resumed as of Monday morning.

Bad weather, including dense fog, snow, and wind, as well as the remote location of the crash site and rugged terrain hampered the recovery efforts in the Dena mountain range.

Rescue helicopters were unable to land in the area due to fog and high winds.

Search and rescue teams, both on foot, in cars, and on helicopters looked for the debris, but to no avail. A drone was also used to spot the plane. However, the weather got better and raised the chance of finding the wreckage.

The ATR-72 flight operated by the Aseman Airlines crashed on Sunday morning 50 minutes after taking off from Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, and did not make it to Yasuj, a mountainous city in western Iran.

The Aseman Airlines’ spokesperson said all the 59 passengers and 6 crew members have been killed.