World
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in helicopter crash near East Azerbaijan Province
Despite the deployment of at least 40 rescue teams, harsh weather conditions and dense fog have hindered their efforts to reach the site.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and East Azerbaijan’s Governor Malik Rahmati died in a helicopter crash near East Azerbaijan Province.
Following the helicopter crash involving several officials, including the nation’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei convened an emergency meeting.
At least 46 search and rescue teams are involved in the search for the presidential helicopter, 4 of which arrived at the site.
Iran’s IRNA state media: “The rescue teams have reached the place where the president’s helicopter was thought to have had an accident, but a rainstorm has caused mud and difficult passage for cars and people. The information shows that the search area is in the heights and it is not possible to arrive by car and the rescuers have to move on foot, and therefore the rescue operation has faced difficulties”
Iran state media: The search continues. The statements of the rescue groups indicate the difficulty of the rescue operation. It is not possible for the car to reach the accident site and the rescuers have to reach there on foot”
Despite being the elected president and head of the government, Raisi remains accountable to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds the position of head of state.
The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, has ordered all branches of the Iranian military, including elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Air Force, to assist in the search and rescue operations for President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior Iranian officials, following the crash of their helicopter in northwest Iran.
This is a developing story that will be updated when more information is available.
