UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply saddened by the plane crash on Sunday in southern Iran that reportedly killed 65 people, said Guterres'deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq.

The secretary-general extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and government of Iran, said Haq in a statement.

A commercial plane that took off from the Iranian capital city of Tehran crashed near the southern city of Yasuj, to which it was bound. All 65 people on board the plane were feared dead.