Helicopter wrack found in the mountains, Iranian president's death confirmed
Fog and heavy rains hampered the work of emergency services after Sunday's helicopter crash involving Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Early Monday morning, rescuers reached the wreckage of the helicopter. None of the passengers survived.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in the helicopter crash. Iran's Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohsen Mansouri, confirmed this report on Monday morning. Earlier, the news of Raisi's death was conveyed by the head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand.
On Sunday, a helicopter crash occurred in Iran. The helicopter was part of a convoy that included Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, a representative of Iran's supreme leader in the province.
Iranian television initially reported that there was a "hard landing."
"The incident occurred as the president was returning from the Khoda Afarin County region in East Azerbaijan province after inaugurating a dam on the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan," reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The report indicated that "rescue forces are making efforts to locate the helicopter that was carrying the president." The services conduct a "widespread operation" involving the military and Red Crescent workers.
"Various rescue groups are heading to the crash site, but due to fog and bad weather, it may take some time to reach the location," said Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahid in an interview with Tasnim News.
Local media shared footage of the search operation online.
The Iranian Red Crescent stated that contact had been lost with a group searching for the wreckage and victims in the mountains near Sungun. It announced that three rescuers deployed to the mission by local authorities had gone missing.
The services identified the exact location of the helicopter Raisi was travelling in. According to media reports, the last GPS data came from a copper mine near the village of Oozi, close to the Iranian-Azerbaijani border. Iranian Air Force helicopters from the Tabriz airbase were dispatched to the location. Due to dense fog, the helicopters could not continue the operation. The pilots decided to return to the base.
An Iranian official, speaking to Reuters, stated on Sunday that the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were "in jeopardy."
"We still have hope, but the reports coming in from the crash site are very concerning," he said.
The semi-official Fars news agency called on Iranians to pray for Raisi. State television interrupted regular programming to broadcast prayers for the president.
Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, spoke out. - We hope that God will return the respected and honourable president and his companions to the embrace of the nation. Everyone should pray for their health - he stated.
"The Iranian nation should not worry; there will be no disruptions in the country's operations," he added.
In the event of the president's death, the Iranian constitution provides that the first vice president - currently Mohammad Mokhber - will assume the presidency with the approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and presidential elections will be held after 50 days.
Al-Jazeera's website notes that Iran has a "dreadful" record of aviation accidents, partly because, due to sanctions imposed after the Islamic revolution in 1979, the country cannot acquire the equipment needed to maintain its air fleet.
Since 1979, nearly 2,000 Iranians have died in air disasters, and a total of 1,755 people have died in accidents involving Iranian airlines during this 44-year period.
Iran operates various helicopters domestically, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet was also largely established before the 1979 Islamic revolution, according to AP.
