Condolences pouring in on Iran jet crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah have offered condolences to Iran over the deadly plane crash in the capital, Tehran.

“Accept my sincere condolences over the crash of a passenger plane over Tehran and the numerous human casualties. I ask that my words of sympathy and support be passed to those who lost their family and friends in the catastrophe,” Putin said in a message to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday.

In another message of condolence on Sunday, the Kuwaiti emir also commiserated with the Iranian nation and government and sympathized with the bereaved families of victims.

Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and Prime Minister Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah also, in a message, expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident.

An Iranian passenger plane crashed on Sunday moments after takeoff from the Tehran Mehrabad International Airport, killing at least 39 people and seriously injuring nine others.

The Antonov An-140, a turboprop regional airliner operated by Sepahan Air, was traveling from Tehran to the northeastern desert city of Tabas. Forty-eight people, among them several children, were on board the plane when it smashed into the ground and burst into flames upon impact.