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Both black boxes have been found and are being investigated by Iranian aviation experts, Isna news agency reported. The public prosecutor's office in Tehran confirmed that the remains of all passengers have been brought to forensics experts.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko tweeted that the passengers included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 10 Swedish nationals, two Ukrainians, four Afghans, three British citizens and three Germans. The nine crew were also from Ukraine.
Germany's Foreign Ministry later said there were no German victims. Sweden's Foreign Ministry confirmed Swedish fatalities. The Foreign Ministry in Kabul tweeted 10 Afghan nationals were killed.
The Iranian aviation authority cited a technical defect as the cause of the crash, Iranian broadcaster Chabar reported, citing a spokesman.
It was not immediately clear how authorities had come to that conclusion so soon after the crash. Boeing tweeted simply that the company was aware of media reports and was gathering more information.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his deep concern after the crash and warned against speculation about its cause.
"Please refrain from disseminating unverified information about the catastrophe until official information is published," he wrote.
The country was to conduct its own investigation and the attorney general was instructed to open criminal proceedings, Zelensky said.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin was expecting a thorough investigation by the Iranian authorities. He also warned against speculating on possible causes for the crash before there were results.
Ukraine International Airlines stopped its flights to Tehran. The plane had just been inspected on Monday, company president Evgeny Dkhyne said.
Company vice president Igor Sosnovsky said the plane had reached a height of 2,400 metres when the accident happened. "The chances of a mistake by the crew are minimal."
The Boeing 737-800 twin-engine jet was only delivered in 2016, Jan-Arwed Richter from the German-based JACDEC flight safety office told dpa.
It was by far the most serious crash of any Ukrainian civilian aircraft and the first fatal accident since Ukrainian International Airlines began operations in 1994, Richter explained.
The Boeing 737-800 is a medium-haul jet of a type operated by airlines worldwide. It should not be confused with the Boeing 737 MAX, which was banned from flying worldwide after two serious crashes.
The US Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday barred commercial flights from entering Iranian and Iraqi airspace, after Iran launched missiles targeting US troops based in Iraq.
Heightened military activity and tensions in the region could present "an inadvertent risk" due to the "potential for miscalculation or mis-identification," the FAA statement said.
It was not immediately clear whether there was any link between the crash and the escalation in conflict between the US and Iran.
Germany's Lufthansa cancelled Wednesday's flight from Frankfurt to Tehran, but said it would resume operations the next day. Several other airlines said they were to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Ukraine's air safety authority banned overflights of Iranian airspace.
Condolences poured in from across the world, with the German government, Pope Francis and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, among many others, expressing their condolences to the victims' families.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko tweeted that the passengers included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 10 Swedish nationals, two Ukrainians, four Afghans, three British citizens and three Germans. The nine crew were also from Ukraine.
Germany's Foreign Ministry later said there were no German victims. Sweden's Foreign Ministry confirmed Swedish fatalities. The Foreign Ministry in Kabul tweeted 10 Afghan nationals were killed.
The Iranian aviation authority cited a technical defect as the cause of the crash, Iranian broadcaster Chabar reported, citing a spokesman.
It was not immediately clear how authorities had come to that conclusion so soon after the crash. Boeing tweeted simply that the company was aware of media reports and was gathering more information.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his deep concern after the crash and warned against speculation about its cause.
"Please refrain from disseminating unverified information about the catastrophe until official information is published," he wrote.
The country was to conduct its own investigation and the attorney general was instructed to open criminal proceedings, Zelensky said.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin was expecting a thorough investigation by the Iranian authorities. He also warned against speculating on possible causes for the crash before there were results.
Ukraine International Airlines stopped its flights to Tehran. The plane had just been inspected on Monday, company president Evgeny Dkhyne said.
Company vice president Igor Sosnovsky said the plane had reached a height of 2,400 metres when the accident happened. "The chances of a mistake by the crew are minimal."
The Boeing 737-800 twin-engine jet was only delivered in 2016, Jan-Arwed Richter from the German-based JACDEC flight safety office told dpa.
It was by far the most serious crash of any Ukrainian civilian aircraft and the first fatal accident since Ukrainian International Airlines began operations in 1994, Richter explained.
The Boeing 737-800 is a medium-haul jet of a type operated by airlines worldwide. It should not be confused with the Boeing 737 MAX, which was banned from flying worldwide after two serious crashes.
The US Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday barred commercial flights from entering Iranian and Iraqi airspace, after Iran launched missiles targeting US troops based in Iraq.
Heightened military activity and tensions in the region could present "an inadvertent risk" due to the "potential for miscalculation or mis-identification," the FAA statement said.
It was not immediately clear whether there was any link between the crash and the escalation in conflict between the US and Iran.
Germany's Lufthansa cancelled Wednesday's flight from Frankfurt to Tehran, but said it would resume operations the next day. Several other airlines said they were to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Ukraine's air safety authority banned overflights of Iranian airspace.
Condolences poured in from across the world, with the German government, Pope Francis and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, among many others, expressing their condolences to the victims' families.
