Army knew dangers, say Iran crash relatives

The Telegraph UK:

Relatives of more than 100 people killed in Iran's worst air disaster in three years have claimed that officials knew the crashed plane was unsafe.

The American-built C-130 struck a Teheran residential building yesterday after reporting engine problems and then trying to make an emergency landing at the capital's main airport.

The plane was carrying journalists to cover military exercises. All 94 passengers died and several people on the ground were killed as fires spread through the apartment complex.

Military officials denied knowing that the plane was dangerous. But the judiciary said it had set up an inquiry to investigate the relatives' claims.

Mojgan Afshar, the sister of a reporter who was on the plane, asked: "Why did they send all those journalists in a plane with technical problems?"

She added: "We want to complain but where should we go?"

Parivash Nouri said her husband, who was a passenger on the flight, had telephoned her several times before take-off to say that the pilot didn't want to fly because of technical problems.

But Gen Mohammad Hassan Nami, the army deputy chief of staff, said the plane had undergone thorough checks before take-off.

"The plane did not have any technical failure before departure," he said. READ MORE