Ukrainian passenger plane carrying at least 167 people crashes after taking off in Tehran

What happened? A “Ukraine International Airlines” passenger plane crashed outside Tehran. What else happened? Hours earlier, Iran launched airstrikes at U.S. military bases in Iraq. Are these events linked? At the time of this writing, that's still unknown. Are there casualties? There were 167 passengers on the plane, but at the time of this writing there is still no official data about those on board. Iran's missile attacks reportedly killed several Iraqi citizens and no U.S. citizens.

A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 passenger plane reportedly crashed shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, early on January 8, local time. According to the Iranian news agencies ISNA and Shebab, there were 180 people on the flight. A spokesperson for the airport confirmed to RIA Novosti that there were 167 passengers on the plane. Everyone on board was apparently killed in the crash.

Early reports from on the ground indicate no evidence of survivors.

The website Flightradar24, a Swedish Internet-based service that maps commercial aircraft flight information, says the last data received from the plane was over the city of Parand, not far from Tehran.

According to the website for Ukraine International Airlines, Flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv took off at 5:15 a.m., local time.

Citing the Iranian news agency Tansim, RIA Novosti says the plane crashed due to “technical problems.” The airport's chief officer has reportedly confirmed the crash.

According to the Arabic newspaper Al-Hadath, the Ukrainian flight was shot down accidentally by Iranian anti-aircraft units in Tehran. “Take with a major grain of salt for the time being,” warns the American security research group “Strategic Sentinel.”

Some initial reports claimed that the crashed Ukrainian flight was a Boeing 737-Мах — the same aircraft series that suffered multiple crashes in 2019. This appears to be inaccurate, but the Boeing Company tweeted that it is “aware of the media reports out of Iran” and is now “gathering more information.”

This is a developing story and information reported here is subject to change. Check back later with Meduza for follow-up coverage.

Before dawn on January 8, Iran fired 15 missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq. Eleven of the rockets reportedly hit their targets.

Following the Iranian airstrikes, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. air carriers, U.S.-registered aircraft, and U.S.-licensed pilots from flying over Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.