A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has crashed in the northern Iranian region of East Azerbaijan, state-run media reported on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Raisi arrived in the province to join his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to take part in the commissioning ceremony of the Khudaferin hydroelectric complex and the opening of the Giz Galasy hydroelectric complex, both on the Araz River.
"We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
State TV quoted an official as saying at least one passenger and one crew member had been in contact with rescuers.
A Turkish drone identified a source of heat suspected to be the helicopter's wreckage and had shared the coordinates of the possible crash site with Iranian authorities, Anadolu news agency said on X.
Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said what it called a “hard landing” happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Later, state TV put it farther east near the village of Uzi, but details remained contradictory.
Rescuers are searching in the dark for a helicopter that crashed while carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in northern Iran on Sunday, according to Iranian officials. Raisi’s condition and that of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who was also on board, remain unknown as overnight temperatures drop in the mountainous area.
©Pavel Bednyakov/POOL/TASS
The aircraft came down in the early afternoon in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, sparking a massive search effort, including military drones and dozens of rescue teams, state media reported.
Officials have said they were able to make contact with some of the passengers aboard the helicopter. But despite hours of searching, emergency crews have not been able to reach the crash site amid reported fog and extreme cold.
Vladimir Putin's Meeting With Russian Ministers and Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali
The meeting started at 10:00 pm and was attended by top Russian defence and security officials.
The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Emergencies Ministry head Alexander Kurenkov, and Special Assistant to the President Igor Levitin.
Putin said he was deeply saddened by the crash of the Iranian president's helicopter and that the Russian side would do everything necessary to help.
The Russian president also said that 2 planes with 50 specialists ready to start the search operation have been prepared.
Russia to Send 2 Planes, Helicopter, Rescuers to Help in Search for Raisi
Russia will send two planes, a helicopter, and 50 rescuers to help search for the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi that made a hard landing in Iran's northwest, the Tasnim news agency reported, quoting Russian Adviser to the President and Special Presidential Representative for International Cooperation in Transport Igor Levitin.
"On instructions from [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, two advanced aircraft, a helicopter and 50 professional mountain rescuers will be sent to the city of Tabriz within an hour," Levitin said during a conversation with Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.
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