The helicopter of the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, suffered an 'incident' this Sunday that some local media have described as a 'force landing'. Up to 16 rescue teams have traveled to the scene of the accident, with information slowly coming in.
Despite the initial confusion about whether the president would be present or not, Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed that this yes he was on board.
The IRNA ('National Agency of the Islamic Republic') stated that in addition to the president, among the occupants of the plane were Hojjat al-Islam al-Hashim, the imam of Tabriz Friday, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Malik Rahmati, Governor of East Azerbaijan, among other passengers. Although this has not been officially confirmed and information is scarce.
Everything points to it Bad weather conditions forced the helicopter to make an emergency landing.
Despite the rapid response of the rescue services, the IRNA reports that the fog is currently preventing its successful implementation, something that the head of the Interior himself has confirmed: “We must take into account that “The area on the right now is complicated and it difficult to establish communication,” he said.
Iranian authorities believe that the helicopter, which was part of a convoy of three, is in the Kalibar area. about 30 kilometers from the border with Azerbaijanwhere the president and his entourage had previously participated in the inauguration of a dam, accompanied by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The semi-official agency Fars News has asked the population to pray for the president.
Raisi, 63, an ultra-conservative cleric and former head of the judiciary, became president in 2021 with 61.95% of the vote.