Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash in the mountainous terrain of East Azerbaijan province, Iranian officials confirmed on Monday.
Search teams discovered the wreckage after battling icy weather conditions through the night. “President Raisi, the Foreign Minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” a senior Iranian official said, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that “all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and Foreign Minister were martyred”. The helicopter, a US-made Bell212, reportedly caught fire upon crashing into a mountain peak on Sunday, although the exact cause of the crash remains unknown. State television broadcast images showing the mangled remains of the helicopter on a rugged mountainside.
Rescue teams from Iran’s Red Crescent worked tirelessly through severe blizzards to locate the wreckage. “With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter’s passengers,” said the news channel head on state TV.
The national broadcaster paused regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the nation. Footage showed rescue teams, clad in bright jackets and equipped with head torches, navigating the dark and treacherous terrain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have mourned the deaths. US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the crash. China expressed deep concern, while the European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology to aid in the rescue efforts.
