Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among others, died after their helicopter crashed in a mountainous terrain in East Azerbaijan Province amidst foggy weather on Sunday, officials and state media said on Monday.
A total of nine people were aboard the Bell 212 helicopter, including East Azerbaijan’s Governor Malek Rahmati, Friday prayers leader Tabriz Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem and flight and security team members.
The charred wreckage of the helicopter was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.
Rescuers gather before heading towards the accident site in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, May 19, 2024. /CFP
Per reports, Raisi was traveling in a convoy of three helicopters when the one carrying him lost communication with the other two approximately 30 minutes after takeoff.
Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri said that the two other helicopters immediately began a search of the area for about 20 minutes, but were later compelled to make emergency landings due to thick fog and inclement weather conditions.
The helicopter carrying Raisi and his team had an incident and suffered a “hard landing” due to the bad weather, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told IRIB TV. He said contact had been made with some of the team accompanying the president, but given that the region was “complicated,” establishing contact was difficult.
The president’s convoy was on its way from Khoda Afarin County, where Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day, to the provincial capital Tabriz for the inauguration of a petrochemical complex.
Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pir Hossein Kolivand told IRIB TV that 40 rapid reaction teams had rushed to the scene and were monitoring the region.
Islamic Republic News Agency called the area a “forest” while the state TV aired images of SUVs racing through a wooded area and said they were being hampered by poor weather conditions, including heavy rain and wind. Rescuers could be seen walking in the fog and mist.
Iranians pray for President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Valiasr Square in central Tehran, May 19, 2024. /CFP
Meanwhile, Iranian people gathered at holy sites, including the Imam Reza holy shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, to pray for the president and others onboard.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei prayed for the safe return of Raisi and those accompanying him, according to Fars news agency.
Speaking in a meeting with the families of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members in Tehran, he told Iranian people not to be worried as there would be no disruption to the country’s affairs.
Countries voice support and concern
The incident garnered significant international attention, with foreign governments and officials expressing concern and offering assistance in rescue operation.
Regional countries including Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia voiced concern over the incident and readiness to assist in search and rescue efforts.
“I convey my best wishes to our neighbor, friend and brother Iranian people and government, and I hope to receive good news from Mr. Raisi and his delegation as soon as possible,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on X, formerly Twitter.
Türkiye on Sunday evening sent a drone to join in the search and rescue operations at the request of the Iranian side through the foreign ministry, the Turkish Defense Minister said in a statement.
Turkey’s Akinci drone identified a “source of heat suspected to be the wreckage of the helicopter” and shared its coordinates with Iranian authorities. This was quickly confirmed by Iran’s IRGC.
China is deeply concerned over the “hard landing” of the helicopter carrying Raisi and hopes the president and the others aboard are safe and sound, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
“We are closely following the situation and will provide all necessary support and assistance for Iran’s rescue efforts,” the statement said.
(With input from agencies)
