Tehran [Iran], May 20 (ANI): Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in the helicopter accident, Mehr News Agency, a semi-official news agency from the Iranian government, said on Monday.
However, this has not been officially confirmed.
According to Mehr news agency, the Iranian president, foreign minister, and other chopper occupants, including East Azerbaijan Province Governor Malek Rahmati, were “martyred”.
Raisi’s death has yet to be officially confirmed, although doctors have reported finding “no signs” of life at the collision scene.
The crash site of the chopper carrying President Raisi was discovered in the wooded highlands early today.
IRNA, the Iranian national news agency, posted drone images showing the wreckage of President Raisi’s chopper. The clip was captured by the Red Crescent. The wreckage was discovered on the way from Khoylar village to Kelem.
Tasnim News Agency reported from Varzeqan that once the likely crash site coordinates were revealed, rescue crews quickly headed to the specified place; however, the helicopter was not found.
As morning broke, the search resumed along the Khoylar-Kelem road.
When rescue personnel observed the helicopter’s blades and wings on a hill, they instantly changed direction towards it.
The Iranian Red Crescent chief stated that, according to rescue team films, the whole cabin of the helicopter was badly damaged and burned, and that there were no survivors on the scene.
According to Iran-based Press TV, when Iranian rescue personnel spotted Raisi’s chopper, no signs of life were found in the wreckage.
He declined to elaborate, saying only that “the condition is not good,” according to state news agency IRNA. “73 rescue teams are present in the search area of the helicopter in Tawal village with advanced and specialized equipment,” he stated.
On Sunday afternoon, under severe weather, Raisi’s helicopter crashed when he was returning to Iran from a trip to Azerbaijan.
According to Tasnim News, nine people were on board the helicopter when it crashed in northwest Iran on Sunday, including three officials, an imam, and members of the flight and security teams.
The nine, according to the IRGC-run media outlet Sepah, included the following: Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem, the leader of Tabriz’s Friday prayer; Malek Rahmati, the governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province; Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi; a pilot, copilot, crew chief, head of security, and an additional bodyguard.
Iran finds itself in this kind of scenario for the first time. The president and foreign minister vanished in a helicopter accident, a sight the nation has never witnessed before, according to Al Jazeera.
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The tragedy garnered international attention, and several nations offered assistance in conducting the search. While the Iranian people and international leaders prayed for the Iranian president and the other passengers, the Russians deployed their equipment, and the Turks dispatched their drones.
