63 Canadians Among Those Killed in Plane Crash in Iran

176 people, including 63 Canadian, have died in a plane crash in Iran.

Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, using a Boeing 737-800, was en route to Kiev from Tehran when it crashed moments after takeoff, leaving a flaming field of debris scattered across local farmland.

According to CBC.ca, the crash happened just hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers. Both Ukrainian and Iranian officials said they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the aircraft. But the Ukrainian Embassy in Iran later said any previous comments about the cause of the crash were not official.

Within hours of the missile strikes, the Federal Aviation Administration barred U.S. carriers from airspace over Iran, the Gulf of Oman, and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia, reports said. The FAA cited "heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East, which present an inadvertent risk to U.S. civil aviation operations."

The flight ban came shortly before the Ukrainian International Airlines flight crashed.

Transport Canada had previously said it was "monitoring the situation closely in the Middle East and are in close contact with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration."

It said Air Canada, the only Canadian carrier to operate in the affected area, "has altered its routes to ensure the security of its flights into and over the Middle East."

*developing story