Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was pictured looking out of the window of a helicopter moments before the aircraft crashed and killed everyone on board.
Rescuers reportedly found the charred wreckage of the chopper on Monday morning (20 May) in a mountainous area in the province of East Azerbaijan following a more than 12 hour search.
The president, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the governor of East Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati were killed in the crash on Sunday as a convoy of three aircraft travelled back through extreme fog, Iranian state media confirmed.
The group had visited the Azerbaijani border to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, but never arrived back from their destination.
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It prompted a frantic search for the helicopter, while people were initially hopeful that those onboard were alive as reports suggested the aircraft had suffered a 'hard landing', The Red Crescent said on Monday (20 May).
Search teams battled through the night in blizzard conditions to track it down, before the burned remnants of the US-made Bell 212 helicopter were found in the early hours of this morning, according to Iranian news agency IRNA.
A senior Iranian official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters: "President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash."
Another official said the helicopter was 'completely burned in the crash', while state media alleged that the aircraft had slammed into a mountain peak, although the official cause of the incident is still yet to be determined, Sky News reports.
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The head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told local news: "With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter's passengers."
Video from the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network showed President Raisi sat facing an unknown aide inside the helicopter, moments before it began its journey.
The controversial leader was elected in 2021 and has cracked down on morality laws and anti-government protests during his time in office.
It is believed that Raisi was onboard the helicopter alongside the foreign minister and governor Rahmati as well as bodyguards and other officials.
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said of the news of the tragedy in a post on X: "India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow."
The White House also announced US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation, while China also reportedly said it was 'deeply concerned' amid the ongoing search last night.
The European Union also offered emergency satellite mapping technology to aid with the rescue efforts.
Topics: World News, News, Politics
Olivia Burke