Iranian Military Transport Plane Crash in the South of the Country - 2003-02-20

An Iranian military transport plane has crashed in the south of the country. In this air disaster, all 302 passengers on board have been killed. Responsible officials say that this plane was carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from Zahedan to Kerman. Rescue and relief officials have determined the crash site to be 40 kilometers from Kerman. Although the exact cause of the crash is not clear, media reports indicate that before communication was lost with the control tower, the pilot had reported adverse weather and strong winds. The Iranian cabinet has also expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the air disaster. The plane crash on Wednesday is the latest incident in a series of recent aviation accidents in Iran. Last January, an Antonov aircraft also crashed in central Iran, killing all 44 passengers on board. Officials announced that the cause of that crash was pilot error. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is under the direct command of Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and effectively serves as the guardian and protector of the regime. In Iran, bad weather has forced officials to suspend search operations in the mountainous area where the military plane crashed.