A Ukrainian airliner with at least 170 people onboard crashed on Wednesday due to technical problems soon after taking off fromTehran's Imam Khomeini airport, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

Rescueteams have been sent to an area near the airport where the Boeing 737 belongingto Ukraine International Airlines crashed, Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman forIran's Civil Aviation Organization, told state television.

Head of Iran's emergency services, PirhosseinKoulivand said, "The plane is on fire but we have sent crews and we may beable to save some passengers."

However, Jafarzadeh put the number of passengers at170.

Meanwhile, IRNA said according to preliminaryinformation "the plane was bound for Kiev and had 180 passengers and crewon board."