By Blessing Chinagorom
An helicopter transporting the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was reportedly crashed in East Azerbaijan Province on Sunday, with their conditions currently unknown.
The Iranian armed forces have been active in the crash area since early Sunday, with Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri noting that twenty rescue teams and drones have been deployed to assist in the recovery efforts.
There is no doubt that there was several lines of communication on the helicopter and persons. At this point every media source is unfortunately awaiting for confirmation on what is most likely the death of Ebrahim Raisi.
The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on X, has expressed deep concern regarding Raisi’s helicopter flight, according to him, “We stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in this hour of distress, and pray for well being of the President and his entourage”.
It was reported that before the incident occurred near Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, Raisi was seen staring out of the aircraft window, which led to an immediate and extensive rescue operation.
Iran’s Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, confirmed that multiple rescue teams have been dispatched to the area, saying despite the deployment of at least 40 search teams on foot, including drones, the rescue efforts have been severely hampered by heavy fog and challenging weather conditions.
Meanwhile, report has it that two other helicopters traveling with the convoy managed to land safely, adding to the confusion and hope surrounding the search for the missing helicopter.
Conflicting reports emerged last night regarding the location and status of the helicopter, with initial sightings near the city of Jolfa and later reports placing the crash near Uzi and the mountainous Dizmar forest area.
Vahidi said that the difficult terrain and poor visibility are making it challenging to establish contact with the crash site.
“It’s a complicated area, and making contact is difficult. We are waiting for teams to reach the area for more information,” he said.
Also, European Union Commission has joined in the search according to one of the commissioner on X said, upon Iranian request for assistance the commission activating its rapid response satellite mapping service in view of to the crash.
