After Days Of Denial, Iran Says It ‘Unintentionally’ Shot Down Ukrainian Plane Carrying 176 People

Iran today (11 January) admitted that it had unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian civilian jet airplane, which was carrying 176 passengers on board, and blamed human error for the mishap, reports Times of India.

The airplane operated by the Ukrainian International Airlines had been downed on the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff, hours after Iran had launched a streak of ballistic missiles on two United States (US) bases in Iraq.

The plane which crashed outside Tehran had flown close to a sensitive military site and was brought down due to human error, a top Iranian military official said on Saturday (11 January) .

The news was confirmed by General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reports Press TV.

On Wednesday (8 January), the Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS75 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran, killing all the 176 people on board.

It should be noted that Iran had earlier denied that it had downed the airplane with a missile. However, the Iranian claim had been countered with claims made by US and Canada based on intelligence reports.

Further, it should also be noted that the airplane was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members of whom 82 were Iranian citizens, while at least 63 were Canadians and 11 were Ukranians.

(With inputs from IANS)