Iran on Wednesday mourned more than 100 people killed when a military transport plane crashed into a 10-story apartment building near a Teheran airport as the pilot attempted an emergency landing after developing engine trouble.

Witnesses initially said the C-130 aircraft hit the top of the building, but officials, including Police Chief Mortaza Talaei, later said one wing of the plane hit the second floor as the fuselage crashed to ground at the foot of the building, gouging out a huge crater and causing a fire that quickly spread throughout the structure.

The plane, with a crew of 10, had been carrying 84 passengers, most of them Iranian radio and television journalists heading to cover military manoeuvres in the south. All on board were killed, Teheran state radio said.

Iranian media paid tribute to the victims yesterday, with newspapers publishing front pages with thick black borders and state-run television running archive footage honouring the journalists who were killed. "The Last Flight" wrote the daily Iran, while Hamshahri described the crash as "Iranian media's greatest grief."

Some relatives of the victims complained yesterday that officials knew in advance that the crashed plane was not safe to fly.

Military officials denied knowing that the Air Force plane had problems but the judiciary said it had appointed a judge to investigate the relatives' claims.

Parivash Nouri, wife of a photographer from the Hamshahri newspaper, said she had identified her husband by recognizing his hands and neck. "His face was totally destroyed," she said.

Like many there she said she had received several calls from her husband before take off telling her that the pilot was reluctant to fly because the plane had technical problems and that it seemed likely that the trip would be cancelled.

Deputy Commander of the Army Joint Chief of Staff Mohammad Hassan Nami said the plane had undergone thorough checks before take-off. "The plane did not have any technical failure before departure," he told the official IRNA news agency.

Source: China Daily