Transfer of plane crash victims to continue Wednesday

Mohsen Momeni told Islamic Republic News Agency late Tuesday that rescue forces were engaged in collecting dead bodies until the end of Tuesday but operations to transfer them down the heights would be carried out on Wednesday.

Transfer of the bodies was not possible due to severe weather conditions, but it will be carried out at the earliest, he said.

Operations to carry dead bodies down the heights will be undertaken tonight if weather permits, Momeni said.

Meanwhile, Director General of Kohkilouyeh-Buyerahmad Forensic Department said that identification of the victims will be carried out in the capital of the province, Yasouj.

Kamrouz Amini added that no dead body has ever been transferred to Forensic Department of the province.
50 families of the victims have so far provided genetic samples in a bid to help with identification of those killed on board, he said.

An ATR-72 plane carrying 60 passengers and six crew members operated by Aseman Airlines was flying to southwestern city of Yasuj on Sunday when it went down near the town of Semirom in Isfahan Province.

The short-haul passenger aircraft vanished from radar screens roughly 50 minutes after taking off from Tehran's Mehrabad airport and crashed into Mount Dena in the Zagros Mountain range.
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