Father of flight attendant reacts after Iran crash

The father of a flight attendant, who is believed to have died when a Ukraine International Airlines crashed in Tehran, described how he learned of the incident on social media. "My daughter called at 6:15 this morning to say that in the US they were reporting that a plane had crashed, a Ukraine International Airlines plane," said Valery Matkov on Wednesday.

"She asked where Ihor was flying to, and we said 'Tehran' and that he would return on the morning flight. And then we found the video of the plane crash," he added, speaking from Kyiv International Airport where his son had been flying to.

Matkov said they were waiting for information from the airline.

The Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport, turning farmland on the outskirt of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board.

The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers, but both Ukrainian and Iranian officials said they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

His office said he had cut his visit to Oman short and was returning to Kyiv because of the crash.

The country's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk confirmed the casualty toll.