Poor weather conditions were the likely cause of an Iran Air crash that killed 71 people and injured a further 35 on Sunday.
The Boeing 727 aircraft operated by the state-owned airline was reported to have broken into three pieces after it came down near the village of Orumiyeh.
The accident happened at 7.45pm local time, a local official saying the aircraft took off an hour later than scheduled from Tehran.
Iran Air spokesman Shahrokh Noushabadi said: “We are examining the reason for the crash, but bad weather appears to be the main cause.”
The weather conditions had forced the cancellations of two flights from Tehran to Orumiyeh earlier in the day, according to local reports.
The rescue operation was further hampered by the weather conditions, with two feet of snow said to be lying around the crash site.
Iranian state television reports said villagers from Orumiyeh had helped some of the injured to escape and get to hospital.
Reports from the scene said the aircraft did not catch fire in the crash but television footage showed it in three pieces.