TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A Russian-built Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' military aircraft caught fire and crashed during take-off in Tehran Monday, killing 36 people.
The Antonov-74 was heading toward the southern Iranian city of Shiraz when it crashed with six crew and 32 military passengers aboard. Two people survived the crash with serious injuries, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
An unidentified source told the official government news agency no senior military officials were on board when the craft crashed and burned at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport at 7:20 a.m.
Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi told reporters an investigation had been launched and cited one theory as to what sparked the engine fire.
"The plane may probably have caught fire after one of its wings, which store fuel, hit an object on the runway," Safavi said.
