At least 46 passengers on board a Russian-made Iranian airliner were injured after the plane caught fire while trying to land in northeastern Iran, state television reported on Sunday.
The Taban Airlines Tu-154 plane carrying 157 passengers and 13 crewmembers was trying to land at the Mashhad airport on Sunday morning when its tail caught fire. The injured have been taken to hospitals in Mashhad, the TV said.
The English-language state-owned Press TV referred to airline officials as saying that the incident had occurred due to bad weather conditions. The captain had to make an emergency landing because a critical patient was on board, Press TV said.
The plane was seriously damaged by the fire.
Although no deaths have been reported, the number of those injured in the incident is expected to rise as the rescue operation continues, the TV reported, referring to provincial emergency medical staff.
TEHRAN, January 24 (RIA Novosti)
