LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday there was a body of evidence that a Ukrainian airliner that crashed in Iran was downed by a surface to air missile that might well have been fired unintentionally.

Echoing the conclusion of the United States and Canada, Johnson called for a full and transparent investigation into the crash which killed all 176 people on board including four Britons.

"There is now a body of information that the flight was shot down by an Iranian Surface to Air Missile. This may well have been unintentional," Johnson said in a statement. "The UK continues to call on all sides urgently to deescalate to reduce tensions in the region." 

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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (not pictured) inside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain January 8, 2020. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool via
Reuters

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)