Helicopter crash carrying Iran president remains shrouded in mystery
2:13 PM EDT, May 19, 2024
Iranian media reported a helicopter crash involving a convoy of three helicopters, one of which was carrying the country's president, Ebrahim Raisi. AP and Tasnim agencies provided the information about the incident. Rescue teams are already on their way to the site, but adverse weather conditions make it difficult to reach the location.
According to Iranian media, President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter experienced a "hard landing" on Sunday. The government has not officially confirmed this.
Reuters reports that the information regarding the incident in Iranian media is conflicting.
Raisi was traveling in the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan. State television described the incident as near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, about 370 miles northwest of Iran's capital, Tehran.
Helicopter crash involving the president of Iran
In Azerbaijan, Raisi and the country's president, Ilham Aliyev, officially inaugurated the operation of a dam on the Aras River.
The helicopter was also said to have carried Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among other things.
Unofficially, it is known that rescue teams are being hindered by poor weather conditions - heavy rain and strong winds.
Local authorities in East Azerbaijan reported that, at this moment, they could not provide information about "potential fatalities and injuries" related to the helicopter crash with the president on board.
