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Iranian Jetliner Crashes; 117 Dead VOA News 12 Feb 2002 13:12 UTC 
An Iranian passenger plane with 117 people on board has crashed in the mountains of western Iran, killing all on board.
The jetliner went down early Tuesday morning about 400 kilometers southwest of Tehran, just short of its destination, the city of Khorramabad.
The Iranian news agency says radio contact with the jetliner was lost minutes before the crash. State radio says villagers in the area were startled by an early morning explosion. Authorities say recovery efforts are being hampered by heavy snow.
Officials say the plane, a Russian-built Tupelov TU-154, belonged to Iran Air Tours, an affiliate of the national carrier, Iran Air.
President Mohammad Khatami has ordered a special task force to probe the crash.
Last May, a Russian-built YAK-40 plane operated by the private Iranian carrier Faraz Qeshm Airlines, crashed near the town of Sari, in northeastern Iran, killing all 30 people on board, including the transport minister and seven lawmakers. They were traveling to Gorgan, near the Caspian Sea, to inaugurate that city's airport.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and DPA.
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