Monday , 6 May 2024

Iranian Fighter Jet Crashes, Three Killed: State TV

VOA — An Iranian fighter jet crashed Monday in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz killing three people, including two crew, state television reported.

The head of the local Red Crescent organization said the plane smashed into a school and that one of the dead was a resident of the neighborhood.

Local official Mohammad-Bagher Honarvar told state television that the school was closed at the time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A handout picture provided by the news agency TASNIM on February 21, 2022 shows firefighters putting out a blaze at the crash site of a fighter jet in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz.
A handout picture provided by the news agency TASNIM on February 21, 2022 shows firefighters putting out a blaze at the crash site of a fighter jet in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz.

He identified the plane as a F-5 fighter aircraft and said it went down at around 9:00 a.m. (0530 GMT) in the central Tabriz neighborhood of Monajem.

An investigation is underway, the state broadcaster said.

The official news agency IRNA posted on its website video footage showing firefighters putting out a blaze at the crash site.

A handout picture provided by the news agency TASNIM on February 21, 2022 shows residents gathering at the crash site of a fighter jet in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz.
A handout picture provided by the news agency TASNIM on February 21, 2022 shows residents gathering at the crash site of a fighter jet in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz.

Iran’s air force has mostly Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets that date back to the Soviet era, as well as some Chinese aircraft.

Some American F-4 and F-5 fighter jets dating back to before the 1979 Islamic revolution are also part of its air fleet.

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