At least 46 injured after Iran plane catches fire: report

At least 46 injured after Iran plane catches fire: report

Iranian firefighters work on a burned Russian-made Iranian passenger plane after its crash landing at Mashhad airport, northeastern Iran, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010.

TEHRAN, Jan. 24 -- An Iranian passenger plane caught fire on Sunday when it was landing in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad, injuring at least 46 people on board, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"The (Russian-built) Tupolev 154 plane belonging to Taban Airline went off the runaway upon landing and about one third of its rear end broke away," said Avad Erfanian, head of disaster management of Khorasan Razavi province of which Mashhad is the capital.

"There were 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board," he said, "the accident caused no death and most of the injured passengers are in good condition."

The wounded have been transferred to three hospitals in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad, he added.

Local English-language Press TV said that the plane had departed from Iran's southeastern city of Abandan and its fuselage, one of the wings and the tail section has burned in the fire.



Iranian firefighters work on a burned Russian-made Iranian passenger plane after its crash landing at Mashhad airport, northeastern Iran, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010.



Iranian firefighters work on a burned Russian-made Iranian passenger plane after its crash landing at Mashhad airport, northeastern Iran, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010.



A firefighter looks into the burnt body of a plane that caught fire while landing in Mashad, 924 km (574 miles) northwest of Tehran January 24, 2010.



Firefighters put out remnants of fire in a plane that caught fire while landing in Mashad, 924 km (574 miles) northwest of Tehran January 24, 2010.
(Reuters)