Tehran, Jan 8 (EFE).- A Ukrainian aircraft with 180 people on board crashed Wednesday near Imam Khomeini Airport, south of Tehran, according to Iranian news agency IRNA.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines, took off from the Iranian airport for Kiev, but crashed soon after owing to technical problems.

According to Iran's emergency spokesman Moytaba Khaledi, 10 ambulances have been sent to the scene of the accident. However, there is no news yet about casualties.

The plane crashed in an area between the cities of Shahed and Parand.

The aircraft's manufacturer Boeing has been facing a deep crisis following two accidents involving its flagship 737 MAX model, causing 346 deaths. The production of this model has been suspended.

The most serious plane crash in Iran in recent times occurred in February 2018, when an ATR-72 belonging to Iran Aseman Airlines crashed in a mountainous area in the center of the country, killing all 59 passengers and six crew members on board. EFE

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