A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi lost contact and crashed in an east Azerbaijan province near the city of Jolfa, close to the Azerbaijan border, on Tuesday, sparking a major search and rescue operation. The incident, reported by the Iranian Fars news agency, occurred on Sunday while the president was traveling as part of a convoy that included two other helicopters, which reached their destination safely.
The helicopter was also carrying Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem, the Friday prayer imam of Tabriz, all of whom are now at risk following the crash. An Iranian official speaking to Reuters expressed that while there is still hope, the information emerging from the crash site is “very concerning.”
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Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed that search and rescue teams are facing challenging weather conditions, which are hampering their efforts to reach the site. The semi-official Fars news agency has urged Iranians to pray for the president’s safety, and state TV has been broadcasting prayers for him and the other occupants of the helicopter.
This is a developing story.