Iran’s Mehr news agency reported on Monday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian passed away in a helicopter accident.
A senior Iranian official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the situation, informed Reuters that President Raisi, the foreign minister, and all other passengers onboard were killed.
Mehr news agency also confirmed the fatalities of “all passengers of the helicopter.” The crash occurred on Sunday as the helicopter, carrying President Raisi and the foreign minister, traversed mountainous terrain in heavy fog in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, specifically in the Varzaqan region.
Iranian state media attributed the crash to adverse weather conditions, complicating rescue efforts in the northwestern region of the country. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that President Raisi was traveling in a Bell 212 helicopter of US origin.
Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iran Red Crescent Society, stated in an interview with the semi-official Tasnim news agency that no survivors had been found following the discovery of the crash site.
He elaborated that rescue teams located the helicopter’s wreckage after conducting extensive searches in the mountainous terrain of East Azerbaijan province in Iran.
President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, and other officials were returning to Iran after attending a dam inauguration ceremony on the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan when the tragic incident occurred on Sunday afternoon.
Following the demise of the Iranian President, First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber is slated to assume office upon approval by the Supreme Leader, in accordance with Article 131 of Iran’s Constitution.
