TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran’s official news agency says a small plane has crashed in the Persian Gulf with the fate of the five crew members aboard unknown.
The official IRNA news agency says the plane, which belonged to the State Aviation Organization, was on a flight to test some aviation equipment when it crashed Monday off Kish Island, well known as a tourist resort.
IRNA says rescue teams have rushed to the site of the crash but have not found any bodies.
Iran has had a history of air accidents, often blamed on poor badly maintained planes.
The latest major crash was in Jan. 2011 when a passenger plane broke to pieces on impact while trying an emergency landing in a snowstorm in northwestern Iran, killing at least 77 people.