The head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Koulivand, also said on Monday morning that all passengers and crew of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter were killed in the accident.
The president of Iran has died
“After discovering the crash site, no signs of life were discovered for the helicopter occupants,” President Kollivand told state television.
Earlier, the National Broadcasting Corporation suspended all prayer programs for Raisi across the country.
See: The world’s reaction to the helicopter crash in Iran. The European Union has made satellite maps available
Information about the disaster was also confirmed on social media by the country’s Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Al-Mansouri and state television.
Among other things, he was also on board the machine that crashed into the mountain. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian And many other senior Iranian officials.
The rescue and search operation was hampered by dense fog and darkness. Bad conditions meant that the rescue helicopter was unable to reach the area where the helicopter was located. 40 teams participated in the event. Support came from, among others, Turkey and Russia.
The president’s helicopter crashes
The accident happened on Sunday East Azerbaijan region in Iran When President Raisi was returning from the opening ceremony of the dam on the Araks River. There he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
See: “Hard landing” of a helicopter in Iran. President Ibrahim Raisi is on board
Ibrahim Raisi He has been president of Iran since August 2021. In the Iranian political system, the president is the second person in the country and the head of government. The president is elected by popular vote. In the event of his death, the First Vice President – currently Mohamed Mokhber – will assume his position by consent Supreme Leader Ali KhameneiAfter 50 days, presidential elections will be held.
Due to the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and the Foreign Minister, the government held an urgent meeting, IRNA reported on Monday morning. After the disaster Ajatollah Ali Chamenei He tried to reassure the Iranians by saying that There will be no disturbances And interruptions in state affairs.
There were three helicopters in the convoy. Two of them returned safely. The Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Raisi was flying an American Bell 212 helicopter. Al Jazeera indicated that Iran does not have the appropriate equipment in its air fleet due to the sanctions imposed after that. Islamic Revolution of 1979 As a result, the country has a dismal record when it comes to aircraft accidents. Since 1979, nearly 2,000 people have died there. Iranians.
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