海角大神

A regional passenger聽plane聽assembled in聽Iran聽crashed聽Sunday while taking off from the capital, killing 39 and injuring another nine onboard, according to a senior transportation official and state media.

The IrAn-140 operated by domestic carrier Sepahan Air聽crashed聽in a residential area near Tehran's Mehrabad airport. State TV said the聽plane's聽tail struck the cables of an electricity tower before it hit the ground and burst into flames. The official IRNA news agency said the聽plane聽suffered an engine failure before it went down.

Deputy Minister of Transportation Ahmad Majidi provided the casualty figures in an appearance on state TV. The channel earlier had reported that all 48 people onboard had died.

The聽crash聽happened shortly after the聽plane聽took off at 9:20 a.m. local time (0450 GMT), bound for the town of Tabas in eastern聽Iran.

Eyewitness Hassan Molla said he heard a roaring sound as the聽plane聽came in low overhead, one wing tilting.

"There was no smoke or anything. It was absolutely sound and in good condition" before the聽crash聽and what appeared to be multiple explosions, he said.

Members of the Revolutionary Guard worked to secure the聽crash聽site and security and rescue personnel combed the wreckage as onlookers gathered shortly after the聽plane聽went down. The聽plane's聽mangled but largely intact tail section was torn from the fuselage and came to rest on a nearby road.

State TV said the bodies of some of the victims were so badly burned that they could not be identified. They will be handed over to relatives after DNA tests are carried out to determine their identities, it said.

The IrAn-140 is a twin-engine turboprop聽plane聽based on Ukrainian technology that is assembled under license in聽Iran. It is a version of the Antonov An-140 regional聽plane聽and can carry up to 52 passengers.

A similar聽plane聽crashed聽during a training flight in the city of Isfahan in February 2009, killing five onboard, according to a report by state-run Press TV at the time.

Lawmaker Mehrdad Lahouti suggested Sunday that the earlier accident should have been a wake-up call.

"Lawmakers visited the production site of the聽plane聽and expressed concern about its (safety)," IRNA quoted him as saying. "This company should have not been allowed to operate the聽plane聽to avoid such a bitter incident."

An official for Sepahan Air told The Associated Press from the central city of Isfahan that the carrier is affiliated with the聽Iran聽Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company, also known as HESA. The airline was set up in 2010 and has not had any previous聽crashes, said the official, who refused to provide his name.

HESA has ties to聽Iran's聽Ministry of Defense and is the company that assembles the IrAn-140.

Mehrabad, located in western Tehran, is the busier of two main airports serving the capital, and primarily handles domestic flights. Most international flights use the newer Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Iran聽has suffered a series of airplane聽crashes, blamed on its aging aircraft and poor maintenance. Many of the Boeing aircraft in state-run聽Iran聽Air's fleet were bought before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution, which disrupted ties with the U.S. and Europe.

Iranian airlines, including those run by the state, are chronically strapped for cash, and maintenance has suffered, experts say. U.S. sanctions prevent聽Iran聽from updating its American aircraft and make it difficult to get European spare parts or聽planes. The country has come to rely on Russian aircraft, many of them Soviet-era聽planes聽that are harder to get parts for since the Soviet Union's fall.

In March of this year, a small聽plane聽belonging to the State Aviation Organization聽crashed聽while on a test flight near the tourist resort of Kish Island, killing all four crew members.

The last major airliner聽crash聽in聽Iran聽happened in January 2011, when an聽Iran聽Air Boeing 727 broke to pieces on impact while trying an emergency landing in a snowstorm in northwestern聽Iran, killing at least 77 people.

In July 2009, a Russian-made jetliner聽crashed聽in northwest聽Iran聽shortly after taking off from the capital, killing all 168 on board. A Russian-made Ilyushin 76 carrying members of the Revolutionary Guard聽crashed聽in the mountains of southeastern聽Iran聽in February 2003, killing 302 people aboard.