Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crashed in northwestern Iran, with his survival unknown. The helicopter, returning from a dam inauguration near Azerbaijan, also carried top officials. Adverse weather and difficult terrain are hindering rescue efforts. Search operations are ongoing, as reported by Iranian state media IRNA.
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed on Sunday afternoon in northwestern Iran, according to Iranian state media. The fate of Raisi and others on board remains unclear.
State media outlet IRNA reported that the helicopter also carried Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister; Malek Rahmati, the governor of East Azarbaijan province; and Hojjatoleslam Al Hashem, the Tabriz Friday prayer leader. The crash occurred as Raisi was returning from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on Iran’s border with Azerbaijan.
The dam, which is the third constructed by Iran and Azerbaijan on the Aras River, was completed amid tense relations between the two nations. The helicopter crash landed in the Varzaqan region.
Rescue and relief teams have been dispatched to the area, but efforts have been hampered by adverse weather conditions. Heavy rain, fog, and wind, along with the challenging terrain described as a "forest," have frustrated the search operations, according to IRNA.
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