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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| 80 dead in Iranian Plane Fire |
| 2006-09-01 |
| At least it LOOKS LIKE 'Non-WoT', though one hopes at least some of the dead were Islamist thugs, to make this unfortunate incident have some value and meaning. Toll in Iran plane fire up to 80 An Iranian passenger plane caught fire after its tyre burst on landing at an airport in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad today, killing at least 80 people, state television and officials said. State television said 147 people were on board and put the death toll at 80. A civil aviation official said 148 people were on the state-owned Iranairtour plane but did not give a death toll. Television pictures showed a broken-up plane, parts of its fuselage charred, lying on the side of the runway. Firefighters were shown trying to extinguish the fire in the smouldering wreck. An Iranairtour official confirmed the incident involved one of its planes but gave no details. The plane, a Russian-built Tupolev, caught fire at 1.45pm (2015 AEST). State television said the plane slipped off the side of the runway when a tyre burst on landing, and subsequently caught fire. The landings are always the hardest part. State television said the plane was travelling from Bandar Abbas, a port city in the south of the country. Air safety experts say Iran has a poor safety record with a string of crashes in recent decades, many involving Russian-made aircraft. US sanctions on the Islamic state have prevented it from buying new aircraft or spares from the West, forcing it to supplement its aging fleet of Boeing and Airbus planes with aircraft from the former Soviet Union. Trade sanctions have likewise forced Iran to purchase much of its nuclear technology from Russia - perhaps surplus repair parts from Chernobyl? |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #5 Sanctions have prevented them from buying spare tires. |
| Posted by: Whomoque Gravimp8761 2006-09-01 23:02 |
| #4 A single blow-out kills almost 100 people? What are they airing-up the landing gear tires with, gasoline vapor? Did the captain opt for an autopilot landing because it was time to pray? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-01 16:27 |
| #3 Actually, Doc, I hear some Special Ops guys disguised as Mullahs shot out the tire. Oh, darn, I let out the secret and now Ahmanutjob is going to kill all the Mullahs to make sure he gets the Spec Ops guys. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-09-01 15:32 |
| #2 Must have been caused by a Zionist death ray! |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2006-09-01 13:47 |
| #1 So which generals that didn't agree with nut-job were on the plane? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-09-01 13:30 |