Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter suffered a “hard landing,” according to state media. Officials added that while search efforts were underway, bad weather was making them more difficult.
According to Iranian official media, “the incident happened on Sunday in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran, close to Jolfa.”Iranians were asked to pray for Raisi by the semi-official Fars news agency, and state television aired prayers for his protection.
Raisi was on his way back from a trip to neighboring Azerbaijan, where he had gone with President Ilham Aliyev to dedicate a dam.Three helicopters were in the Iranian president’s escort, according to state-run media, and the other two returned safely.The Iranian supreme leader’s envoy to the region, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were all in the same chopper as Raisi, according to state media.
“Two ministers, Ali Akbar Mehrabian for energy and Mehrdad Bazrpash for housing and transportation, were aboard the two helicopters that returned safely.The president’s companions in the chopper were able to telephone for help,the call raised hopes that the issue may be resolved “without fatalities,”, according to state media.
State television was informed by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi that while multiple rescue teams were attempting to get to the scene, bad weather and fog would cause delays.Vahidi stated that radio contact had been established with the helicopter, but he did not provide any other information and implied that lines of communication had been severed.
“The president’s helicopter is thought to have crashed in the forested and hilly Dizmar Protected Area,” according to government news websites.The kind of helicopter that transported the president and his entourage remains undisclosed.Iran has a number of helicopters in service, but obtaining new aircraft or parts has been challenging due to decades-long sanctions.
Iran’s military aircraft fleet is largely outdated, having been in use before to the 1979 revolution. According to official media, “the helicopters and planes that are used in Iran are quite outdated and this is the reason that these kinds of incidents happen a lot in Iran; it can take hours for the rescue crews to get to the crash site. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, 40 different teams were sent to the scene of the tragedy.”
“All the facilities, equipment and capacities of the army, the army corps and the police command should be used to provide relief and search for the helicopter of the president and his companions,” Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, the head of Iran’s armed forces, declared later on Sunday.
