Iranian Plane Crashes near Tehran, All Passengers 'Dead'

All 48 passengers and crew members died as a small jet crashed near the airport of Iran's capital Tehran.

Two infants and three children under the age of 12 were reportedly among the victims, according to Al Jazeera, which cites the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

The machine was en route to Tabas, a city in Iran's east, but went down at 09:18 local time (04:48 GMT).

IRNA news agency explains the incident was most likely caused by an engine failure.

Iran's aircraft fleet is outdated, with many of the planes bought before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and have maintenance issues partly caused by US sanctions.

The BBC reports that the death toll of more than 200 accidents with Iranian planes over the past 25 years exceeds 2000.