Bodies being recovered at site of Iran plane crash

The bodies of passengers onboard a Ukrainian plane that crashed in Iran were being recovered by emergency workers from the wreckage on Wednesday.

The commercial flight carried 176 people when it crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran's main airport.

The head of the local fire department said there were no survivors.

"The crashed plane has been dragged on the ground for about 500 meters. Fortunately it did not crash in the residential area but plane wreckage has scattered around into gardens and villas within a large radius. Nobody has survived," Hossein Ahmadzadeh told the Associated Press.

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 International Airlines said it had indefinitely suspended flights to Tehran after the crash.