All passengers and crew aboard Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter were killed in a crash, as announced by Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
"When the location of the crashed helicopter was discovered, there were no signs of life," Kolivand informed IRIB TV.
Among the deceased were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Province Governor Malek Rahmati, and Friday Imam of Tabriz city Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem. The helicopter crashed in the northwestern part of the country, according to Mehr news agency. The agency reported that President Raisi was performing his duty to the people of Iran at the time of the crash and accepted martyrdom. The incident occurred en route to the city of Tabriz.
An unnamed Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that both Raisi and Abdollahian perished in the crash. He noted earlier that the aircraft had completely burned during the hard landing.
Iranian media have published a quadcopter video showing the presidential helicopter crashing into a mountainous area covered with trees.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Rais RT
Based on materials from TASS