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Iranian rescuers find missing plane after two days of searching

Iranian rescuers find the wreckage of a missing passenger plane after two days of searching.
Members of emergency and rescue team search for the plane that crashed in a mountainous area of central Iran, February 19, 2018. REUTERS/Tasnim News Agency  ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC18A45E46C0

Iranian search and rescue teams have finally found the wreckage and remains of some 30 of the 65 passengers and crew of the Aseman Airlines ATR-72 plane, a twin-engine turboprop that went missing Feb. 18. The airplane — which had departed from Tehran and was scheduled to land in the southwestern city of Yasuj — crashed into remote Mount Dena in the Zagros Mountains. Mount Dena has an elevation of nearly 4,409 meters (14,465 feet).

Search and rescue teams reached the site after two days of searching in heavy snow. The 24-year-old aircraft was restored to service only three months ago after being out of service for six years. Decades of US sanctions have left Iran’s fleet dilapidated, though restrictions were specifically lifted under the nuclear deal.

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