17 killed in Iranian plane crash

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An Iranian passenger plane has crashed killing 17 people, according to local reports. The plane caught fire as it was landing and skidded off the runway in the country's northeast.

Rescuers work near the plane wreckage at the international airport  in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad July 24, 2009. At least  17 people were killed and 19 injured when a passenger plane from  Iran's Aria Air airline with 153 passengers on board caught fire  during its landing here on Friday. (Xinhua/Stringer)

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A provincial official told the state news agency that the tires of the private Aria airliner caught fire during its landing on Friday in Mashhad. It then crashed near the runway. Another 19 people were injured in the crash. There were 153 passengers on the Russian-made Ilyushin plane.