Ebrahim Raisi, president of Iran, died in the accident involving the helicopter he was traveling on yesterday. The aircraft crashed 20 km from the border with Azerbaijan. Iranian state TV announced the death of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. On board, 6 other people. The vice president and current interim president, Mohsen Mansouri, also confirmed the news.
The TV announcement comes after a series of communications filtered in the last few hours. According to Iranian state TV, “no” signs of life were detected at the site of the accident – reached at dawn in Italy. Hence, the eloquent words of Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Red Crescent: “With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life were detected among the passengers of the helicopter.”
The state broadcaster then released a screenshot of video footage taken inside the helicopter in which President Raisi and Minister Amir-Abdollahian were traveling before it crashed. “They are martyrs,” he said. Iran’s Mehr news agency also reported that all passengers on board the aircraft “were martyred”
The Fars agency showed the images recorded by a drone used by the Red Crescent: wreckage believed to be compatible with the remains of the helicopter can be seen.
⚡️ #Iranian sources: The moment the helicopter wreckage was found by the #Iranian drone team affiliated with the Red Crescent Rescue Organization. pic.twitter.com/EelWNDdkj5
— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) May 20, 2024
A source cited by Reuters described the helicopter as completely burned. During the searches, as announced by the Turkish Anadolu agency, a special drone made available by Ankara identified a heat source in the area of the accident.
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