Video appears to show moment Ukraine plane was shot down over Iran

Video taken from the ground appears to show the moment a Ukrainian jetliner went downshortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing 176 people in what officials believe was a mistaken missile strike by Iran.

The footage, verified by NBC News, shows a plane in the night sky, a bright flash near the plane’s flight path and eventually the sound of an explosion in the distance.

Flight PS752 reportedly flew for several minutes, ablaze, before crashing to the ground.

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, 82 people on board were Iranian, 63 Canadian, and 11 Ukrainian, including the nine crew members. Ten were from Sweden, four from Afghanistan, three from Germany and three from the United Kingdom.

Multiple world leaders and intelligence officials say the plane was likely struck by accident. Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday the flight may have been hit by an “unintentional” Iranian missile launch.

One Western intelligence official told NBC News there is high confidence the plane was felled by an accidental missile strike. The source, who receives high level briefings from U.S. intelligence agencies, says the evidence includes satellite imagery and communications intercepts.

The plane’s operator, Ukraine International Airlines, said 167 passengers and nine crew members were aboard the Boeing 737-800 when the plane took off from Tehran International Airport en route to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, at 6:10 a.m. local time (9:40 p.m. ET). It disappeared from the radars a few minutes after departure.

Ken Dilanian contributed.

source: nbcnews.com