Ukraine plane crash: Iran to pay $1,50,000 each to families of 176 victims

Iran has agreed to pay $1,50,000 each to family members of 176 passengers killed almost a year ago when the Iranian Army mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian civilian aircraft. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 on the morning of January 8, minutes after the plane took off from Tehran's international airport. The incident took place the same day when Iran had attacked American bases in Iraq and was anticipating retaliatory action by the US forces.

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On January 8, hours before the Ukrainian plane crashed, Tehran had fired rockets at two US bases in Iraq, which was in retaliation to the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, following which the country's air defence was on high alert. The Iranian government had earlier said that the Ukrainian plane crashed due to some technical issue, but later the country's civil aviation agency admitted that the aircraft was shot by the country's air defence unit who misidentified it as a hostile object. 

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'Pay before 1st anniversary' 

Almost a year after the accident, the Iranian government has agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims. The flight was carrying mostly Iranian and Canadian citizens, but also had nationals of some other countries, including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Britain, and Germany. According to the Iranian state-run news agency IRNA, the government will release the money to the families of the victims as soon as possible. The compensation amount was agreed upon by the Iranian cabinet members during a meeting on Wednesday. 

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According to the report, Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has been given the responsibility to pay the money to the families of the victims. The Vice-Presidency for Legal Affairs has suggested the government to pay the compensation before January 8, the first anniversary of the crash. 

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