Lewis McPartlin | Reporter
On the Sunday the 18th of February a passenger plane in Iran struck the side of a mountain not far from its destination, in Yasuj in the south west of the country. Initial reports estimate 66 victims are believed to have perished in the incident.
The airliner with more than 60 souls onboard was 14 miles from its terminus. The lives that may potentially have been claimed include; sixty passengers, two flight attendants, two air security guards, also both the pilot and co-pilot.
The plane involved was part of the Aseman airlines franchise. Both the casualties and the wreckage are seated in Zagros mountains. All efforts for a rescue operation have been severely hindered by adverse weather conditions causing low visibility. It is yet to be disclosed how many lives have been claimed in the tragic episode.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current leader of Iran, conveyed his sympathy for the families of those involved in the crash.
Iran’s passenger aircraft are outdated in comparison to those we use in Europe, the country also has difficulty gaining access to repair parts for their ageing fleet. The aircraft in question had been used for over 25 years of service.
Unfortunately for the country this has been the fourth time in little under a decade a plane has crash landed, the previous three causing a total of 285 fatalities. Despite these continual failures with aircraft maintenance people have little choice but continue to use these outdated machines for modes of travel. Families grieve for their dead, and the future appears grim for both chance of survivors and rescue.
UPDATE
Iranian officials were disconcertingly quick to announce that all on board perished in the crash – before sending any official rescue teams to the crash site. In an official statement, authorities failed to land a rescue helicopter on the mountain of the crash site.
Much controversy surrounds Iran’s commercial aviation scene, with the country sustaining the worst civil aviation record to date. Aseman Airlines, the airline responsible for maintenance and operation of the ATR 72-200 aircraft, is actually banned from entering European Union airspace due to safety concerns.
Some speculate that the economic sanctions against Iran result in it’s airlines being underfunded and under-maintained, with potentially dangerous consequences.
