TEHRAN — Search and rescue teams finally managed to find the wreckage of a plane that crashed into the Dena mountain range, southwestern Iran, on Sunday, recovering bodies of some of the victims, ISNA news agency reported.

The ATR aircraft with 66 passengers and crew on board went missing and due to bad weather conditions search for finding the wreckage of the plane continued for three days.

The wreckage was spotted by a helicopter on Tuesday morning.

Right after finding the wreckage rescue and relief teams as well as well-trained mountaineer were dispatched to the area to find the bodies, however, as the mountains are impassable the searches might become lengthier.  

“The first group of rescue forces have arrived in the area and found some of the bodies,” Mehr news agency quoted mountaineer Qorban’ali Sayyadi as saying. 

“Many of the bodies are spotted and some are buried under the snow,” he noted.

Morteza Salimi, head of Rescue and Relief Organization, said rescue and relief forces have already discovered some of the bodies, Tasnim news agency reported. 

Some of the bodies are recognizable and some are not. However, the climatic conditions as well as the inaccessibility of the area have made it difficult to find all the bodies and the process might take days to complete. 

Shahin Fat’hi, deputy head of Rescue and Relief Organization, also said that rescue teams might be forced to camp in the area to resume searching operation as well as transferring the bodies the next morning. 
 
MQ/MG