New information suggests an Iranian missile may have brought down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 which crashed shortly after leaving Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran on Wednesday, according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
All 176 passengers and crew onboard the aircraft died in the crash, which happened just minutes after takeoff.
Speaking about information relating to the crash, Mr Johnson said there is now “a body of information that the flight was shot down” by an Iranian missile and that the shooting down of the plane “may well have been unintentional”.
Iran has ruled out a missile strike as the cause of the crash. In a statement, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK government was working with Canada and other nations affected by the crash.
“It is vital that there should be an immediate and respectful repatriation of those who’ve lost their lives to allow their families to grieve properly,”
“The UK continues to call on all sides urgently to deescalate to reduce tensions in the region.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also said he has seen evidence which suggested Iranian missiles brought down the jet. According to reports, US satellites also detected two missile launches a short period before the explosion of the Ukranian aircraft.
Hours before on the same night, Iran had launched airstrikes against Iraqi military in retaliation for when last week the US killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike.
Photo: A Ukranian Airlines Aircraft | Credit: Aero Icarus via Flickr under licence (CC BY-SA 2.0)
