A military cargo plane has crashed into a wall during landing, killing everyone on board but one person after overshooting the runway.
The Boeing 707 cargo plane was flying from Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, to Iran but crashed while attempting to land.
All 16 people on board the aircraft, except one, are presumed to be dead after the plane overshot the runway this morning (January 14).
As reported by Iran’s Press TV, initial reports suggest the plane was due to land at Payam International Airport in Karaj. However, it is believed the pilot attempted to land at nearby Fath Airport by mistake.
Fath Airport, located just 12 kilometres away from the intended destination, is much smaller than Payam International and as such, is not suited for large cargo aircraft.
As the pilot attempted to land, they reportedly lost control of the plane and ran out of space on the runway, before hitting a wall that separated the airport from the neighbouring residential areas.
The crash happened at 8:30am local time as the military cargo plane attempted to import meat from Kyrgyzstan to Iran.
Several rescue teams were sent to the crash site immediately, including helicopters and ambulances, but it was soon discovered there was only one survivor.
Fars News reports Pirhossein Kowlivnd, the Head of the Emergency Organisation of Iran, made the announcement that the crash had claimed the lives of 15 people on board. The flight engineer is reported to have survived the tragic event, but is currently in critical condition in hospital.
BBC News reports an army spokesman confirmed to state TV that the plane belonged to Iran, and that all those on board were Iranian citizens.
No one was killed on the ground, reports say, with the residential buildings that were damaged in the crash being vacant at the time of impact.
The military aircraft caught fire as a result of the crash, and its wreckage was found burning among houses in the residential area.
As reported by Fars News, the Head of Forensic Medicine Organisation of the province, Hamid Davoudabadi, said earlier today that 10 out of the 15 bodies had been identified.
The official advised that the remaining bodies are currently being examined for identification, saying:
There are doubts about the identities of other bodies and we are going to determine their identity by conducting medical measures. Their names will be announced after final reviews.
The plane’s ‘black box’ voice recorder has been located near the crash site, local media reported earlier today.
An investigation has been launched to find out exactly what happened to cause the crash.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).