The Latest: Iran says 65 killed in airplane crash

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The Latest on the crash of an Iranian passenger plane in southern Iran (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency is saying that the death toll in a commercial airplane crash is 65.

IRNA reported Sunday night that one passenger did not make the flight.

That puts the toll at 65, with 59 passengers and six crew members killed. Authorities initially said the crash killed 66.

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72 crashed near its destination of the southern Iranian city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers (485 miles) south of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

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4:35 p.m.

Iran's leaders have expressed their condolences over the passenger plane crash that killed all 66 on board.

The official IRNA news agency reports that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged all related bodies on Sunday to apply their efforts "to heal the sorrow of the families and relatives of victims."

In a message on his website, President Hassan Rouhani said he has assigned officials to investigate the case and apply measures to avoid similar incidents in future.

Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai told state TV that all on Flight No. 3704 were killed. The plane carried was carrying 60 passengers, including one child, and six crew members.

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, crashed near its destination of the southern Iranian city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers (485 miles) south of the Iranian capital Tehran.

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4 p.m.

The German government has expressed sorrow over reports that an Iranian passenger plane has crashed in southern Iran, killing all 66 people on board - 60 passengers and six crew members.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said in a tweet on Sunday that the crash was "terrible news."

Steffen Seibert said the German government "shares the grief of the Iranian people for those who lost their lives."

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72 crashed near its destination of the southern Iranian city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers, or 485 miles, south of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

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1:50 p.m.

Iran's state media say the Iranian passenger plane that crashed in the country's south went down in a foggy, mountainous region, killing all 66 passengers on board.

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, crashed near its destination of the southern Iranian city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers, or 485 miles, south of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai told state TV that all on Flight No. 3704 were killed. The plane carried 60 passengers, including one child, and six crew members.

State TV says that due to foggy condition, rescue helicopters couldn't reach the crash site in the Zagros Mountains.

Tabatabai says the plane crashed into Mount Dena, which is about 4,400 meters, or 14,435 feet, tall.

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11:50 a.m.

A spokesman for Iran's Aseman Airlines spokesman has told state TV that an airplane crash in southern Iran has killed all 66 people who were on board.

Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai spoke to state TV on Sunday. He says the flight carried 60 passengers, including one child, and six crew members.

He says the plane crashed in Mount Dena, which is about 4,400 meters, or 14,435 feet, tall.

The ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, went down near the remote mountain town of Semirom, some 620 kilometers (390 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.

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11:30 a.m.

The semi-official Fars news agency says a commercial airplane carrying 66 people has crashed in southern Iran.

The report on Sunday says the plane crashed near the remote mountain town of Semirom, some 620 kilometers, or about 390 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.

The report identified the plane as an ATR-72. It said the plane was flying from Tehran to the southern Iranian city of Yasuj.

Under decades of international sanctions, Iran's commercial passenger aircraft fleet has aged, with air accidents occurring regularly in recent years.

Following the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, Iran signed deals with both Airbus and Boeing to buy scores of passenger planes.

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