TEHRAN, Jan 9: An Iranian military plane crashed in northwest Iran on Monday, killing 13 on board, including a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, police and news agencies reported.

“A Falcon jet belonging to the Revolutionary Guard has crashed near Orumiyeh,” a police spokesman told state television. “There were 13 on board, unfortunately all were killed.”

The head of the ground forces of the Revolutionary Guard, Ahmad Kazemi, was among those killed, Ahmad Panahi, head of Iran’s Emergency Centre was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

“Ahmad Kazemi was killed with 12 of his deputies and accompanying officers,” he said.

Fars news agency put the total number of people on board the plane at 15, of whom 13 were definitely killed.

Mehr news agency said the crash was due to bad weather in snowbound northwest Iran.

It said several high ranking Revolutionary Guard commanders had been on board. A Revolutionary Guard spokesman was not immediately available to comment.

Condolence: President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have expressed grief over the plane crash in Iran and loss of the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ground forces and other officers.

In their message of condolence to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the two leaders said they were saddened to hear about the tragic incident and expressed solidarity with the people and government of Iran over their loss.

Earlier on Monday, a small Falcon jet came down near Oroumieh, 900 kilometres north-west of Tehran in which Ahmad Kazemi, head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps ground forces, was killed along with other troops. —Agencies