KYIV. Dec 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) - There were five Russian nationals among the reported 44 people killed in the crash of the Ukrainian Antonov-140 plane in Iran, according to information from the Kharkiv regional administration as of 9:20 a.m. Tuesday.
It is known at the moment that there were a number of senior managers from the Kharkiv aircraft manufacturing plant onboard the crashed plane.
The Ukrainian state aviation transport department, Ukraviatrans, told Interfax that the Ukrainian Transport Ministry is currently putting together an ad hoc commission to investigate the crash in Iran. The commission should leave for the scene by Tuesday afternoon.
According to sources in the Ukrainian aviation authorities, the crashed Aeromost-Kharkiv airline AN-140 was en route from Kharkiv to Tehran. It was carrying Ukrainian and Russian specialists to attend the presentation ceremony of the second- series AN-140 plane assembled by an Iranian plane manufacturing plant located in Isfahan.
The crashed aircraft was made by the Kharkiv aircraft manufacturing plant and was acquired by Aeromost-Kharkiv in August 2002. There have never been concerns about the plane's technical condition, a source said.
The Kharkiv aircraft manufacturing plant has released four such planes in 2002. Since March, AN-140s have been operated by Odesa Airlines and Aeromost-Kharkiv on regular Ukrainian air routes.
Arromost-Kharkiv is a Ukrainian-Russian joint company registered in early August this year. The amount of shares held by its shareholders has not been made public, although it is known that the Kharkiv-based corporation InterAmi holds a controlling stake.