Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi dies in a fatal helicopter crash
Fog and heavy rains hampered the work of emergency services after Sunday's helicopter crash involving Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Early Monday morning EDT, 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 EDT. 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 accident reportedly happened as the president was returning from the Khoda Afarin region in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan after inaugurating a dam at the common border with the Republic of Azerbaijan," reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The report indicated that "the rescue teams from the Red Crescent Society of Iran, the military force and the Police have been deployed to the area to find the helicopter."
- Various rescue teams are on their way to the region but because of the poor weather and fogginess it might take time for them to reach the helicopter - 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 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, so 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 are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is 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 the Almighty God returns the respected and esteemed President and his companions to the embrace of the nation - he stated.
- The Iranian nation should not be worried or anxious; there will be no disruption to the work of the country - 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. This is partly because, due to sanctions imposed after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the country cannot acquire the equipment needed to maintain its air fleet.
Since 1979, nearly 2000 Iranians have died in air disasters, and a total of 1755 people have been killed in accidents involving Iranian airlines during these 44 years.
Iran operates various helicopters domestically, but international sanctions make it difficult for them to obtain parts. According to AP, its military air fleet was also primarily established before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
