Tasnim – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed condolences over a Ukrainian airliner’s crash in northern Iran and stressed the need for a rapid and precise probe into the causes of the incident.

In a telephone conversation with Rouhani on Thursday night, Zelensky appreciated the efforts of Iranian relief agencies, emergency services, and technical experts to deal with the tragic incident.

He also urged closer cooperation between the two countries’ technical experts in the process of finding the causes of the crash based on international protocols.

During the phone call, Rouhani also urged full cooperation between the two countries, saying he has ordered the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development to form a joint team of the two countries' experts to investigate the crash.

The victims of Wednesday’s crash included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.

All 179 people on board the Boeing 737, including nine crew, were killed when the jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport on Wednesday morning.

The plane operated by Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) was bound for Kiev.