A passenger plane has crashed in Iran killing most of those on board, according to reports. The Boeing 727, belonging to national airline IranAir, was prevented from making a scheduled landing at Orumieh airport because of snow and crashed near Orumieh lake in the north-west of Iran. The plane was coming from Tehran.

According to local media, 105 people were on board, 72 of which are believed to have lost their lives. Of the 33 people to have suffered injuries in the crash, 10 are said to be in a serious condition.

Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, has reported that the Boeing failed to land at Orumieh. It crashed as it was attempting to make a second pass close to the village of Termani. Emergency services have been despatched to the area. According to one official, Mojtaba Khaledi, the rescue operation was being made difficult by heavy snowfall. He confirmed that of those who had been found alive, 10 were in a critical situation.

According to the Fars news agency the crash occurred at 19.45 local time. IRNA said there were 10 crew members on board along with 95 passengers. It added that the plane was attempting to land for a second time at the airport but disappeared from radar as it was doing so.

I recent years there have been a number of airline disasters in Iran. Many blame the ageing aircraft and the fact that western sanctions prevent airlines from getting the parts they need to maintain their planes.