TEHRAN: Iran on Monday launched a probe into the crash of an Iran Air passenger jet which killed 77 people and injured scores after the airliner broke into pieces in heavy snow and fog, state media said.

The Boeing 727 airliner with the state-run Iran Air crashed near the northwestern city of Orumiyeh at about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday (12:15 a.m. Monday in Manila) after it took off from Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, state television said on its website.