A MAJOR search and rescue operation is underway after a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was reportedly involved in an accident.
Raisi was travelling in the convoy of three helicopters in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province on Sunday.
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Iranian state media said the chopper had suffered a “hard landing” without giving any further explanation.
Footage showed cars speeding to the site in thick fog – and a search party on foot was apparently seen looking for the helicopter.
No contact has been made with the crashed Iranian presidential helicopter, Tabriz parliamentary representative Ahmad Alirezabighi told local media.
Due to fog, a helicopter with rescuers has been unable to land in the area, IRNA reported.
Iran’s interior minister, Ahmed Vahidi, confirmed the incident by saying: “After inaugurating the dam, the president was returning when the helicopter carrying him had a hard landing due to the foggy weather in the area.”
According to the state TV, the incident happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 375 miles northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
16 rescue teams have rushed to the scene but were reportedly struggling to reach the area because of heavy rain and winds.
A frantic search for Raisi is underway as Red Crescent, military personnel and police support units have been deployed to the site.
The rescuers have resorted to using drones in a bid to locate the missing helicopter.
Mr Vahidi, has said that the rescue operation “will take time” as it is hindered by thick fog and poor visibility.
He told state TV: “Efforts are underway, and we hope to reach a resolution soon.
“It’s a complicated area, and making contact is difficult. We are waiting for teams to reach the area for more information.”
The governor of East Azerbaijan province and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were also amongst the passengers travelling alongside Raisi.
The two other helicopters, carrying ministers and officials, have landed at their destination safely.
Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River.
Iran flies a variety of helicopters but struggles to obtain new parts for them because of international sanctions.
The country’s military air fleet also dates back to before the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Raisi, 63, secured a victory during the 2021 presidential election, which saw the lowest turnout in the country’s history.
He is sanctioned by US for his involvement in a massacre of thousands of political activists in 1988 as the bloody Iran-iraq war neared its end.
Under his rule, Iran has ramped up its uranium production at nearly nuke-grade level and obstructed international inspections.
Iran has also been supplying Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and backed Houthi rebels who have spent months waging war on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
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