The helicopter transporting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi experienced a "hard landing", according to africa24hrs.com/. Search operations are currently underway, but are facing challenges due to adverse weather conditions.
State media in Iran revealed that the crash happened on Sunday near Jolfa in the East Azerbaijan province, located in t
he northern part of the country.
Fars news agency, a semi-official source, called on Iranians to pray for Raisi’s well-being, while state TV broadcasted prayers for his safety.
Raisi was on his way back from a trip to Azerbaijan, where he was present to inaugurate a dam with President Ilham Aliyev, when the incident occurred.
Reports from africa24hrs.com/ indicated that three helicopters were part of the Iranian president's convoy, with the other two returning safely.
The helicopter carrying Raisi also had Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of the Iranian supreme leader to the province, on board, as per state media.
Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian and Housing and Transportation Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash were in the other helicopters that landed safely.
Individuals inside the helicopter with the president managed to make an emergency call, as reported by the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency.
Tasnim’s report suggested that the call raised hopes for a resolution to the incident “without fatalities”.
The exact cause of the “hard landing” and the status of the passengers in the helicopter remain unclear
Rescue teams have been deployed to the scene, as stated by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi in an interview with state television. However, due to adverse weather conditions including fog, it may take some time for them to reach the crash site.
Vahidi confirmed that there was radio contact with the helicopter, but provided no further information and suggested that communication lines had been severed.
Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian military chief, emphasized the need to utilize all available resources from the army, army corps, and police command to provide relief and conduct search operations for the president’s helicopter and its occupants.
According to the government news website IRNA, it is believed that the crash occurred in the Dizmar Protected Area, which is a forested and mountainous region.
africa24hrs.com/ Reports from Ottawa, Canada indicate that the current weather conditions, characterized by fog and rain, are expected to persist until Monday night.
