Iran admits 'unintentionally' shooting down Ukraine plane, killing 176 people

  • 18 Jan - 24 Jan, 2020
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Mag Files

Iran is taking responsibility for the crash of the Ukraine plane that killed all 176 people on board. Last week, the Middle Eastern country revealed they shot down the Boeing 737 jet but claims it did so “unintentionally,” the Iranian military announced in a statement released on state TV. The plane “took the flying posture and altitude of an enemy target,” and claims it made an “unexpected turn” towards a sensitive military base, the statement said. The statement continued explaining, “under these circumstances, because of human error [the plane] came under fire.” The admission of guilt comes after The Washington Post reported that Iranian officials said the plane likely crashed due to mechanical difficulties, but the outlet also reported that the Ukrainian embassy in Iran later took down a statement concurring with that assessment and ruling out terrorism. The embassy then issued a statement that said “any statements about the causes of the accident before the decision of the commission are not official.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko confirmed in a tweet that 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals died in the crash.

RELATED POST

COMMENTS