Iran missile hit Ukrainian plane cockpit killing pilots instantly, top official claims
THE pilots flying the Ukrainian passenger plane which was struck by an Iranian missile died INSTANTLY, a top security official said.
show the Boeing 737 was hit on the underside of the cockpit when it crashed near Tehran on Tuesday, Oleskiy Danilov said.
Ukraine’s top security official told the BBC that the pilots died before the jet hit the ground – killing all 176 people on board.
Speaking about a photo of the wrecked plane which shows the bottom half of the cockpit is missing, he said: “The photo shows the part where the missile hit.
“It hit the cockpit from underneath. We think this is proof. And it explains why we didn’t hear anything from the pilots. They died immediately after the first hit.
“As soon as the Iranians gave us access to these items, our specialists kept us updated every hour as to what was happening.
“And very quickly as we gathered information, we understood what had happened.
'KILLED INSTANTLY'
The hours after Tehran launched a barrage of rockets against US targets in Iraq.
And after repeated denials, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani admitted Saturday his forces gunned down the civilian aircraft because they mistook it for an American fighter plane.
The Iranian military apologised for the disaster, promising to upgrade their systems to prevent such mistakes in the future.
They said those responsible for the strike on the plane would be prosecuted.
But in brazen remarks, Iranian leaders attempted to shift the blame claiming the "aggressiveness" of the United States in the region made their soldiers jittery.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted: "A sad day. Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster."
The Boeing 737, operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Iran's acknowledgement of responsibility for the crash is likely to inflame public sentiment against authorities following General Soleimani's killing last week.
The general, who US officials branded a "terrorist mastermind", died in a drone strike ordered by President Trump was seen as a national icon in Iran.
Soleimani was killed days after Iran-backed militias attacked the US embassy in Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The jet disaster crash comes just weeks after Iranian authorities quashed nationwide protests ignited by a hike in gasoline prices.
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The plane was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members, including 82 Iranians, at least 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians.
After the crash, bulldozers were pictured clearing away debris at the crash site.
It was feared the machines could destroy precious clues as to what really happened before international crash investigators have a chance to examine them.
Iran’s ambassador to the UK dismissed the use of bulldozers to clear the crash site as "absolutely absurd", reports.