Before dawn on Monday, the Iranian search and rescue teams reached the plane crash site as the weather was reported to be improved though it was still windy. And finally the airline announced all on board the Flight EP3704 were killed.
The relatives of 66 people on board the Iranian commercial plane ATR 72 were desperately waiting for updates as rescue attempt had been made however, heavy wind and snow forced the rescue operation to be stopped late on Sunday.
Aseman Airline previously announced: “Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we cannot accurately and definitely confirm the death of all passengers of this plane.”
The officials said, “With the wind intensifying, and with snow, rain and darkness, it is not possible for rescue and relief teams to reach high altitudes and the search operation has been postponed until tomorrow.”
The TV broadcast footage of a helicopter joining the search and showed ambulances and rescue vehicles preparing to reach the site on Mount Dena, which is about 4,400 meters.
The weather was severe with dense fog, high winds and heavy snow in the Zagros Mountains which made it difficult for rescue crews in helicopters to reach the site in the immediate aftermath.
The Aseman Airlines aircraft ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, went down near the remote mountain town of Semirom, some 390 miles south of the capital, Tehran.
The crashed ATR-72 plane was 25 years old as per the Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation. Iran has suffered several aviation accidents in recent years and has an ageing aircraft fleet.
