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Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash

Iran’s President along with the country’s foreign minister were en route from East Azerbaijan to Tabriz when their helicopter experienced difficulties due to heavy fog

by Marisha Singh

May 20, 2024

JABRAYAIL, AZERBAIJAN - MAY 19: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image supplied by the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as they inaugurate the Qiz Qalasi Dam, constructed on the Aras River on the joint borders between Iran and Azerbaijan, after which his helicopter has reportedly crashed near the city of Jolfa, on the border with Azerbaijan on May 19, 2024 in Jabrayil, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran via Getty Images)

Image credit: Getty Images

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has tragically died in a helicopter crash, state media confirmed in the early hours of Monday.

The confirmation of the Iranian’s leader’s death was reported by both state television and the IRNA news agency.

The official confirmation comes hours after rescue workers scoured the location where the helicopter carrying Raisi went down.

Reports of the helicopter going down in Azerbaijan’s mountainous region, due to bad weather conditions came in on Sunday evening, followed by reports of the launch of rescue efforts to extract survivors. The crash reportedly occurred in the Varzghan region of East Azerbaijan.

The footage shows the moment the president’s helicopter wreckage was found by the volunteer drone team of the Relief & Rescue Organization of the Red Crescent pic.twitter.com/xJ3qCdUi9t

— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) May 20, 2024

Ebrahim Raisi confirmed to have died

Along with President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rahmati, and Mohammed Ali Ale-Hashem, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative to East Azerbaijan, were also killed, reported Iranian news agencies such as Mehr and Tasnim.

The group was en route from Azerbaijan to Tabriz when their helicopter experienced difficulties due to heavy fog, resulting in a “hard landing,” state media reported on Sunday afternoon.

Rescue teams spent the night searching the mountainous crash site in East Azerbaijan province, but no signs of life were found, as per Iranian state news agency.

“Ayatollah Raisi, the beloved president of our country, was martyred in a helicopter crash in the Varzghan region of East Azerbaijan and joined the Supreme Kingdom,” the IRNA statement said.

First photo of the helicopter wreckage pic.twitter.com/5sRMV9AUoc

— Mehr News Agency (@MehrnewsCom) May 20, 2024

The head of Raisi’s protection unit, Mehdi Mousavi, and several bodyguards were among the casualties, according to IRNA.

The government is expected to release an official statement within the next hour.

The semi-official Mehr news agency described the president as having been “martyred while serving the people of Iran.” Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohsen Manouri, expressed his condolences on social media, writing, “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”