No Sign Of Safe Passengers, President Raisi: Iranian Foreign Minister And Entourage Reportedly Died
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage who were victims of a helicopter crash on Sunday reportedly Iranian media were killed after reports of no sign of survivors at the location where helicopter debris was found.
President Raisi, foreign minister and all helicopter passengers were killed in the crash, "a senior Iranian official told Reuters, who asked not to be named because of the sensitiveness of the matter," as reported Monday, May 20.
Meanwhile, Mehr News Agency reported that helicopter passengers, including President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan Province Michel Rahmati and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representatives of the Leaders of the Islamic Revolution for the province of East Azarbaijan, and several others were martyred. in the incident.
However, until now there has been no official confirmation from the Iranian government stating that President Raisi has died, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Earlier, hopes of finding Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during an accident in mountainous areas and cold weather faded, an Iranian official said Monday after a search team found its ruins.
"President Raisi's helicopter caught fire in the accident. Unfortunately, all passengers are feared to be killed," the official told Reuters.
Meanwhile, CNN quoted Iran's state news agency IRINN and semi-official Mehr News Agency news agency as reporting, "no survivors" were found at the crash site of President Raisi's helicopter.
Rescue teams battled tough snowstorms and terrain throughout the night to reach ruins in East Azerbaijan Province in the early hours of Monday.
"We can see the debris and the situation is not good," Iran's Red Crescent Head, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state TV.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi previously confirmed to national TV that one of the presidential convoy helicopters had an emergency landing on Sunday, announcing search and rescue efforts were underway to find President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter.
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Iran's Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri said on Sunday President Raisi's helicopter and two other helicopters were on their way to Tabriz city, after the president and his Azerbaijanan counterparts inaugurated the Qiz Qalasi Dam on the border of the two countries.
After flying for half an hour, President Raisi's helicopter lost contact with two other helicopters, prompting them to conduct a search in the area, he said, quoted from IRNA.