File photo: AFP

A Ukrainian airliner carrying 176 people from seven countries crashed shortly ­after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all on board. The vast majority of the passengers on the Boeing 737 flight from Tehran to Kiev were non-Ukrainians, including 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians, officials said.

The crash occurred with tensions high in the Middle East and shortly ­after Tehran launched missiles at bases in Iraq housing US troops. But there was no immediate indication of foul play and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against "speculating" on the cause of the disaster.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of condolences to Zelensky over the crash, according to reports.

The US aviation authority said it had banned US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf, and airlines including Lufthansa and Air France said they were suspending flights through Iraqi and Iranian airspace. 

Footage released by Iranian state media showed a field on fire and the smoking wreckage of the crash. ­Rescue workers carried body bags and the passengers' personal items were lying amid the ­debris.

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), the ex-Soviet country's privately owned flagship carrier, said flight PS752 took off from Tehran airport at 6:10 am and disappeared from radars just two minutes later.

It slammed into farmland at Khalaj Abad, in Shahriar county, about 45 kilometers northwest of the airport.

As well as the Iranians and Canadians, the passengers included 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons, Ukraine's foreign minister said. Eleven Ukrainians - including the nine crew - were also on board. 

China expressed its deep ­condolences to the victims and extended heartfelt sympathies to their families, said ­Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang during a daily briefing on Wednesday. 

"We hope relevant parties can find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible," Geng said.

The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Ukraine have contacted relevant authorities to verify the situation, and "as of now, there is no report of Chinese citizens on the plane."

The airline said the Boeing 737 had been built in 2016 and checked only two days before the accident.

"The plane was in working order," UIA company President Yevgeniy Dykhne told a briefing in Kiev where he choked back tears. "It was one of our best planes with a wonderful crew."

The aircraft was not one of the MAX models fitted with anti-stall systems that have been linked with two other recent crashes of Boeing 737s.

Boeing, which has been roiled by a nine-month crisis after 737 MAX was grounded, tweeted, "We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information."

Iran's civil aviation authority said search and rescue teams had found the airliner's two black boxes but that it would not hand them over to Boeing or US authorities.