Ukrainian Airplane Crashes near Iran's Capital, Killing 176
2020-01-09
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1Airline companies are changing flight paths throughout the Middle East following the deadly crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane in Iran Wednesday.
2The crash killed all 176 people on the plane.
3It happened just hours after Iran attacked American bases in Iraq with ballistic missiles.
4No one was hurt in the strikes.
5The strikes were in answer to the U.S. killing last week of Iranian military official Qassem Soleimani.
6The plane crashed minutes after leaving Tehran airport.
7Iranian officials said they believed a mechanical problem caused the crash.
8They have disputed suggestions that the plane was hit by a missile.
9Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy cut short a visit to Oman to return to Kyiv following the crash.
10He said a team of Ukrainian experts would fly to Tehran to help investigate the crash.
11"Our priority is to find the truth and everyone responsible for the tragedy," Zelenskiy wrote in a Facebook statement.
12The UIA flight was bound for Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, carrying 167 passengers and a crew of nine.
13Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the dead included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons.
14Airline officials said most of the passengers were going to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to change planes for other cities.
15Later Wednesday, several European airline companies announced they were changing their routes to avoid Iranian airspace.
16The changes are expected to decrease air travel between Iran and Western Europe.
17Air France and Dutch airline KLM both said Wednesday that they had suspended all flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
18German airline Lufthansa also canceled flights to Iraq.
19In North America, Air Canada changed its flight paths from Toronto to Dubai through Egypt and Saudi Arabia to avoid traveling over Iraq.
20In Canada, Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday Canada's "hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians."
21The Ukrainian president asked Ukraine International Airlines to begin a full inspection of all non-military airplanes in the country.
22Iran's Road and Transportation Ministry said it appears that one of the plane's engines caught fire.
23The plane was fully loaded with fuel for its 2,300-kilometer trip.
24It crashed near the town of Shahedshahr, just outside Tehran.
25I'm Susan Shand.
1Airline companies are changing flight paths throughout the Middle East following the deadly crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane in Iran Wednesday. 2The crash killed all 176 people on the plane. It happened just hours after Iran attacked American bases in Iraq with ballistic missiles. No one was hurt in the strikes. The strikes were in answer to the U.S. killing last week of Iranian military official Qassem Soleimani. 3The plane crashed minutes after leaving Tehran airport. Iranian officials said they believed a mechanical problem caused the crash. They have disputed suggestions that the plane was hit by a missile. 4Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy cut short a visit to Oman to return to Kyiv following the crash. He said a team of Ukrainian experts would fly to Tehran to help investigate the crash. "Our priority is to find the truth and everyone responsible for the tragedy," Zelenskiy wrote in a Facebook statement. 5The UIA flight was bound for Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, carrying 167 passengers and a crew of nine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the dead included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons. Airline officials said most of the passengers were going to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to change planes for other cities. 6Later Wednesday, several European airline companies announced they were changing their routes to avoid Iranian airspace. The changes are expected to decrease air travel between Iran and Western Europe. 7Air France and Dutch airline KLM both said Wednesday that they had suspended all flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace. German airline Lufthansa also canceled flights to Iraq. 8In North America, Air Canada changed its flight paths from Toronto to Dubai through Egypt and Saudi Arabia to avoid traveling over Iraq. 9In Canada, Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday Canada's "hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians." 10The Ukrainian president asked Ukraine International Airlines to begin a full inspection of all non-military airplanes in the country. 11Iran's Road and Transportation Ministry said it appears that one of the plane's engines caught fire. 12The plane was fully loaded with fuel for its 2,300-kilometer trip. It crashed near the town of Shahedshahr, just outside Tehran. 13I'm Susan Shand. 14The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 15Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. 16________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18ballistic - adj. a type of missile that can travel very far 19priority - n. something that is very important