Alwaght- Sixty six people were killed after a passenger plane has crashed in central Iran during a flight, authorities said on Sunday.
Flying from capital city of from Tehran to the southwestern city of Yasuj, ATR 72, a twin-engine turboprop operated by Aseman Airlines, crashed in bad weather into Dena Mount near the town of Semirom, Press TV reported.
Local officials in Semirom said the crash site was hard to reach and rescue helicopters had been unable to land because of heavy fog and rain.
Spokesman for Iran's emergency services Mojtaba Khaledi said rescue teams had traveled to the crash site by land and were trying to find the debris.
Air controllers lost contact with the airplane at around 8:00 am (0430 GMT). The flight had 60 passengers, including a child, and six crew.
Franco-Italian planemaker ATR has a deal with flag carrier Iran Air for the delivery of 20 ATR 72-600 passenger planes. The company delivered eight aircraft in 2017 and plans to deliver a further 12 by the end of this year.
The 70-seat ATR planes are aimed at domestic routes, which Iran seeks to revitalize after the lifting of sanctions in early 2016.
Iran is also renovating its aging fleet for international or long-distance flights under deals signed with Airbus and Boeing to buy a total of 180 passenger jets.
The country has received three Airbus jets in 2017 - one Airbus A321 and two Airbus A33 - and was due to get another by year-end which did not come through. The first Boeing is due around May 2018.
