Iran's president and foreign minister dead in helicopter crash
The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, died on Sunday in a helicopter crash. On Monday, Iranian television showed a brief video reportedly taken during Raisi's last flight. Along with him, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also died on board the Bell helicopter.
The video shows Raisi and the accompanying delegation admiring the view from the helicopter's window. The footage features a short clip of the terrain over which the aircraft was flying.
The exact location of the recording is unknown. However, it is known that the helicopter had a "hard landing" while travelling from the border with Azerbaijan. The last communication with the aircraft was recorded near a copper mine in northwestern Iran.
In addition to Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Malik Rahmati, and an Imam from Tabriz, Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, were also on board. All perished.
President of Iran is dead. He died in a helicopter crash
Raisi and other officials were attending a ceremony to launch a dam on the Aras River. The Iranian politician met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev there.
Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Abdollahijan, the Governor of East Azerbaijan, and clerics, was then supposed to fly by helicopter to Tabriz.
Iranian media reported on the situation from places of worship, where Iranians prayed for Raisi. An appeal for prayers also appeared on the president's official social media profile.
