Up to 77 dead in Iran plane crash as toll rises

The revised casualty count comes as investigators searched for clues to what caused the aircraft to attempt a disastrous emergency landing.

The first clues of the impending disaster came when the pilots of the Boeing-727, operated by Iran's national airline, reported a technical failure to the control tower. Later, they attempted an emergency landing in a snowstorm Sunday night.

The IranAir aircraft broke into several pieces on impact - but head of the rescue department of Iran's Red CrescentSociety Mahmoud Mozaffar said there were no explosions or fires.

Nevertheless, semi-official news sources reported that rescue efforts were hampered by heavy snow, along with report of fog in the area. State TV aired footage showing rescue workers and local farmers searching for survivors Sunday night in parts of the wrecked plane under snowfall and in the darkness.

According to the state broadcaster, the aircraft disappeared from radar and went down in farmland after making a second attempt to land. The nature of the technical failure is as yet not clear.

But casualty figures from various sources are currently conflicted. According to provincial official Javad Mahmoudi, so far 77 people died and 27 were injured, some critically.

But Iran's Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani earlier said 105 passengers and crew were on board, 72 died and 33 were lightly hurt. There was no word on the fate of the two children he said were on board as of yet.

Shortly after the crash, authorities said the plane was carrying 106 people and 71 died.

The conflicting accounts could not be immediately explained.