By Tara John, Jessie Yeung and Eliza Mackintosh, CNN
From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina in Moscow
The Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran has ruled out a terror attack as a possible cause for the plane crash, instead saying in a statement that preliminary information suggests engine failure was responsible.
“According to preliminary information, the plane crashed due to an engine malfunction. The version of the terrorist attack or rocket attack is currently excluded,” the statement on its website read.
The plane crash that killed 176 people outside Tehran earlier today is just the latest in a series of deadly aviation incidents that have taken place in Iran. These include:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will break off his trip to Oman to return to Kiev to deal with the plane crash, according to his official Twitter account.
An earlier statement on his official Facebook page said Zelensky traveled to Oman at his own expense with his family.
Photos from the scene of the crash, located just outside the Iranian capital Tehran, show mangled metal and loose debris from the plane wreck.
The plane caught fire after it crashed earlier on Wednesday morning, preventing emergency personnel from accessing it immediately.
Most of the flames appear to be out now, revealing the extent of the damage. The entire tail section of the aircraft has broken off, and structures from the plane look burned.
The crash killed 176 people, including passengers and crew.
Iranian and Ukrainian officials are now working together to respond to the disaster.
"We are working to establish the causes of the tragedy, the Ukrainian consul is working on site, an operational crisis group has been created. We are currently clarifying the number of Ukrainian citizens on board," said Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk in a statement.
Footage captured by Iran state-run news agency IRNA shows the fiery aftermath of the plane crash just outside Tehran early Wednesday.
In the video, the sky is still dark. The ground is covered with small spot fires from debris.
There were 176 people on board in total, according to state news agency Press TV -- 167 passengers and nine crew members. All of them have been confirmed dead.
The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in the Iranian capital Tehran.
The crash site lies between the cities of Parand and Shahriar, according to the head of Iran's Emergency Medical Services.
Flight radar data suggests the plane crashed two minutes after taking off, according to flight-tracking service FlightRadar24. The plane had been in service for three and a half years, and was last spotted on radar at 7,925 feet (2,415.54 meters).
From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed all passengers and crew on board the Boeing 737 were killed in Wednesday's crash, in a statement on his official Facebook page.
Read the statement:
"According to preliminary information, all passengers and crew members had died. Our embassy is working to clarify information on the circumstances of the tragedy and the list of deceased passengers. My sincere condolences to families and loved ones of all passengers and crew members.”
All passengers and crew members on board the Ukrainian flight that crashed in Tehran have died, according to Iran's state-run Press TV.
Press TV cited Ali Khashani, a senior public relations official at the Imam Khomeini International Airport, where the Boeing 737 flight had departed.
There were 176 people on board in total, according to state news agency Press TV -- 167 passengers and nine crew members.
Earlier reports from Iranian media said that 180 people were on board.
The Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed after takeoff due technical difficulties, according to Iran's semi-official news agency ISNA.
Ukrainian response: The Ukrainian Embassy in Iran told CNN it is gathering a list of passengers killed.
“Our consul is working at Tehran airport, we are gathering a list of passengers killed in the crash this morning. We don’t have final numbers yet, we are working in contact with the rescue teams on the site and Ukrainian International Airlines office in Iran," the embassy said.
It's early morning in the Middle East, and the sun is still rising as emergency crews respond to the crash scene in a field between the Iranian cities of Parand and Shahriar.
Images released by the humanitarian organization Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran show the field littered with what appears to be plane debris. The air is hazy with smoke from the crash.
There were 180 people on board the plane, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran.
