Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was in a helicopter that suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday. According to Iranian state media, he alongside Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials were traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province when the helicopter they were in made a “hard landing” near Jolfa, a border city with Azerbaijan, about 375 miles northwest of Tehran.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has been confirmed dead in a helicopter crash alongside the country's foreign minister and several other officials pic.twitter.com/h16BHD7uzZ
— The National (@TheNationalNews) May 20, 2024
According to state TV, the helicopter crashed further east near the village of Uzi.
“The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog,” Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, adding, “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.”
Vahidi went on to say that officials are waiting for rescue teams to get to the landing site and provide further information on the incident.
Twelve hours after the officials were determined to be missing, rescuers found the helicopter from a distance of about 1.25 miles. State TV said on Monday that there was “no sign of life” at the crash site.
With Raisi’s demise, Iran’s vice president, Mohammat Mokhber will stand in as the country’s acting president until elections.
