Iran finds wreckage of plane on top of mountain

LONDON: Iran has located a passenger plane that crashed with 65 people on board, a military spokesman said on Tuesday, two days after it disappeared from radar over mountainous terrain, increasing Iranians´ fears about the country´s aging fleet of aircraft.

The Aseman Airlines flight from Tehran disappeared on Sunday, 50 minutes into its journey to the south western city of Yasuj. The spokesman said it had crashed into a mountain. No one is expected to have survived.

Glacial temperatures and mountainous terrain hampered search and rescue efforts, adding to the grief and anger felt by families of the victims and wider society in a country that blames decades of sanctions for the poor state of its planes. The twin-engined turboprop ATR 72 was over 24 years old. According to data cited by the Flight Safety Foundation’s aviation-safety. net website, it had been restored to service just three months ago after being in storage for six years.