Sources familiar with the initial crash report said the plane had taken off from Bishkek heading to Karaj’s Payam International Airport, but the pilot mistook it for the adjacent Fath Airport, which is not suited to servicing cargo aircraft.
Consequently, the pilot lost control of the plane, ran out of runway, and hit the walls separating the airfield from neighboring residential areas. Some buildings have been damaged.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society has dispatched eight rescue teams, including several ambulances and a helicopter, to the site.
Reportedly 16 people were on board. Eight bodies have been retrieved from the plane so far.
Sources say two cabin crew have survived the crash and are now under intensive care.
The plane, operated by Iranian Army, was carrying meat from Kyrgyzstan.
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