Ukraine President: Avoid Speculation on Cause of Iran Crash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a televised address, has asked people not to speculate or jump to hasty conclusions about the cause of a plane crash in Iran that killed all 176 people on board. The plane, a Boeing 737-800 operating for Ukraine International Airlines, took off from Iran’s capital, Tehran, early on Wednesday morning, bound for Kyiv. Six minutes after takeoff, the plane burst into flames and crashed. Among the victims were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, three Germans, and three Britons. Ukraine has declared January 9 a day of national mourning. “Undoubtedly, the priority for Ukraine is to identify the causes of the plane crash. We will surely find out the truth. For this purpose, a thorough and independent investigation will be conducted in accordance with international law,” Zelenskyy said. According to an initial report by Iran’s civil aviation organization, witnesses on the ground and in an aircraft flying at high altitude said the Ukrainian jet was on fire while still in the air. It also said that the plane had an unspecified technical problem shortly after takeoff and was headed to a nearby airport when it crashed. Because the crash occurred a short time after Iran launched missile attacks on bases housing US forces in Iraq, some speculated that the plane may have been hit. However, unnamed security sources said that Western intelligence agencies had concluded that the crash was due to a technical malfunction, not a missile strike.