Khatibzadeh condoles with Russia govt., people on plane crash

Today, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khaatibzadeh expressed his condolences to the Russian government and people over the Russian plane crash which resulted in the death of 28 passengers and crew.

Iranian senior diplomat also expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

The Antonov An-26 twin-engined turboprop was en route from the regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana, a village in the north of the Kamchatka peninsula, when it lost contact with air traffic control, the emergencies ministry said, Reuters reported.

Citing sources, Interfax reported that the plane was thought to have crashed into a cliff as it was preparing to land in poor visibility conditions.

Russia's civil aviation authority confirmed that the plane's crash site had been found after the emergencies ministry dispatched a helicopter and had deployed teams on the ground to look for the missing aircraft.

There were 22 passengers and six crew on board, the ministry said. Olga Mokhireva, the mayor of Palana, was among the passengers, the TASS agency quoted local authorities as saying.

The weather in the area was cloudy at the time the plane went missing, Russian news agencies reported. TASS said the aircraft involved had been in service since 1982.

RHM/FNA14000416000044/PR