Helicopter carrying Iran Prez Ebrahim Raisi crash lands; Iranians being asked to pray

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Rescue team yet to reach Iran Prez Ebrahim Raisi after chopper crash landed

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, May 19: Iranian media agencies have reported that the rescue team has not yet established contacts with President Ebrahim Raisi. Earlier, a helicopter in the convoy of Raisi had crashed in eastern parts of Azerbaijan area of Iran.

Reports quoting the interior ministry of Iran said that Raisi’s chopper had-landed in a forested area. They also stated that the weather conditions are harsh for rescue operations. The area is heavily raining. The weather conditions are also foggy.

“Tasnim quoting the Interior Minister suggests the incident was due to bad weather, and that the rescue team have not yet been able to reach the site of the incident,” posted Michael A Horowitz, a security analyst, on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Amid lack of information about Raisi, the Iranian news agencies are sounding out the people about the developing situations by asking them to be calm, “Domestic news outlets have asked people to pray for the health of the President, FM, and others onboard. Things are not looking good,” Saeed Azimi, another senior journalist who keeps eyes on the affairs of Iran posted on X.

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Joyce Karam, an editor with Al Montor, said that while two choppers in the convoy safely landed, Raisi had a hard-landing. “Due to the heavy forestation, weather conditions and limited coverage, it is currently not possible to make contact with the President and his entourage,” local media reported quoting the interior ministry of Iran.

Raisi was visiting the border area with neighboring Azerbaijan. The incident took place in the Dizmar forest in northwest Iran.

“Raisi was returning from the Khoda Afarin region in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province,” said Al Monitor in a news report, adding: “Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also in the helicopter, along with other officials.”

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It also quoted the Tasnim news agency, saying that there were three helicopters in the convoy, two of which landed safely.

“Earlier on Sunday, Raisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the Qiz Qalasi Dam along the two countries’ border,” added Al Monitor.

Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner. He was head of Iran’s judiciary before becoming the President of the Islamic nation in 2021 with one of the lowest voters’ turnout. Raisi is also widely known as the protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“The crash site of the helicopter with the president and his companions was located in the area of the village of Uzi, located in the forests of Arsbaran, and rescue teams were sent to the crash site. The area where the accident occurred is one of the most inaccessible areas, and rescuers faced this problem,” said SprinterFactory in a post on X.