WORLD HEADLINE | DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Helicopter carrying Iranian president crashes
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Rescuers in Iran are trying to reach a helicopter involved in “an incident” while traveling with an entourage including President Ebrahim Raisi, state television reported Sunday.
There was no immediate elaboration on what happened to the helicopter, nor who was on board.
The helicopter suffered an accident as Raisi was heading to the northern city of Tabriz after he inaugurated a dam project on the border with Azerbaijan, state media said.
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The presidential convoy included three helicopters, of which two landed safely but one vanished.
Poor weather conditions complicated communication with the helicopter carrying Raisi and other officials.
Iran flies a variety of helicopters in the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them.
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Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.
Thousands of Muslim faithful prayed for Raisi’s safe return in mosques nationwide — including amid the minarets of 63-year-old Raisi’s hometown, the shrine city of Mashhad.
Tearful Iranians fearing the worst were also praying for Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was with him on the helicopter, in Valiasr Square in central Tehran.
Helicopter carrying Iran’s President Raisi crashes in foggy mountains
In this photo provided by Moj News Agency, rescue teams and people are seen near the site of the incident of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran, Sunday. PHOTO: AP
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Iran has endured years of tensions and turmoil, most recently coming to the brink of war with arch enemy Israel in a series of tit-for-tat attacks sparked by the Gaza war.
In recent times it has been shaken by waves of mass protests, while its people have endured economic pain deepened by US sanctions over its contested nuclear programme.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to the airwaves to comfort the nation, urging Iranians to “not worry” about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying “there will be no disruption in the country’s work.”
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