A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed on Sunday but has not yet been found by search and rescue workers due to heavy fog, according to Iranian state media and the country's mission to the United Nations.
Raisi, 63, has long been a prominent figure in Iran. As president, he oversees all government operations and is the second most powerful person in Iran's political system after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The cause of the crash of the helicopter, which also carried Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian, was not immediately known.
State television did not report on casualties or the president's condition, but called on the public to pray for the safety of Raisi, who was elected in 2021, and his companions. A message asking for prayers was also posted on the president's official website.
State news agency IRNA reported that a large-scale search operation was underway involving 20 search and rescue teams, including drones and dogs. Reports said bad weather hampered work. Almost five hours later, teams are still unable to locate the crash site.
Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on state television: “Given the complexity of the region, contact is difficult and we hope that a rescue team will arrive in a helicopter and provide us with more information.” ” he said.
Pirhossein Krivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that the crash occurred in an “inaccessible area.” He said he was on his way there and search teams from multiple states were dispatched.
Videos shown on Iranian state television showed rescue teams running along mountain roads in thick fog and teams wearing red and white vests walking across green hills.
Raisi was on an official visit to northwestern Iran. A ministerial delegation traveled with him in a convoy of three helicopters, state media reported, adding that two other aircraft had arrived at their destination.
Here are the latest developments:
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According to state media, the government canceled a scheduled cabinet meeting and called an emergency meeting of its crisis management committee instead.
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Iranian law states that if the president dies, power is transferred to the first vice president and elections must be held within six months. Conservative politician Mohammad Mokbel will serve as first vice president.
