A Boeing 737 plane carrying 176 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran early Wednesday local time, Iran's semi-official news agency ISNA reported.

ISNA reported the crash was due to technical difficulties.

All passengers and crew on board are dead

All passengers and crew members on board the Ukrainian flight that crashed in Tehran have died, according to Iran's state-run Press TV.

Press TV cited Ali Khashani, a senior public relations official at the Imam Khomeini International Airport, where the Boeing 737 flight had departed.

There were 176 people on board in total, according to state news agency Press TV — 167 passengers and nine crew members.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran has ruled out a terror attack as a possible cause for the plane crash, instead saying in a statement that preliminary information suggests engine failure was responsible.

“According to preliminary information, the plane crashed due to an engine malfunction. The version of the terrorist attack or rocket attack is currently excluded,” the statement on its website read.