However, there have been conflicting reports about the number of survivors, and rescue efforts have been hampered by the heavy snow in the area.
The pilots of the Boeing-727, operated by Iran's national airline and carrying 104 passengers and crew, reported a technical failure before attempting the landing, but it's still unclear what that failure was.
State TV said the aircraft disappeared from radar and went down in farmland after making a second attempt to land at the airport in the northwestern city of Orumiyeh.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
