Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died following a helicopter crash in a mountainous region of East Azerbaijan province.
The tragic incident was confirmed by Iranian state media on Monday, bringing an end to the intensive search efforts that began after the helicopter went missing on Sunday afternoon.
The helicopter, carrying President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and seven other officials, lost contact during its flight. Early Monday, relief workers located the wreckage of the aircraft. State television and the Mehr news agency both confirmed the president’s death.
State television announced, “The servant of the Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, has achieved the highest level of martyrdom whilst serving the people,” accompanied by images of Raisi and a recitation of the Koran in the background.
Iran’s Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohsen Mansouri, expressed condolences by posting a Koranic verse on social media platform X.
Fears for the 63-year-old ultraconservative president’s safety had escalated after the loss of communication with the helicopter in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province. Iran’s Red Crescent chief, Pirhossein Koolivand, confirmed that rescue teams were dispatched to the crash site upon locating the aircraft.
Drone images of the wreckage were circulated by Iranian media outlets, including Fars news agency. Initially, state TV had reported on Sunday that the helicopter carrying the president had met with an accident in bad weather, resulting in a hard landing.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated that the adverse weather conditions contributed to the crash. A total of nine individuals were on board at the time of the incident.
For more news https://lagostalks.com/news/
