Iranian official media stated that President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi had perished in a helicopter crash. At the scene of the helicopter crash that carried Raisi, his Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollhian, and other high-ranking officials, 'no survivors' were found.

The downed chopper was found by rescue crews after hours of searching through rugged terrain in bad weather. "In the crash, President Raisi's helicopter was entirely burnt," a representative informed news agency Reuters.

President of Iran
Source:The Statesman

According to Iranian state TV, there was "no sign of life" when the chopper was discovered.

On Sunday, the helicopter crashed in Jolfa, in the country's hilly northwest. Raisi and the others were returning from a visit to Iran's border with Azerbaijan when the event occurred.

If Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, gives his approval, First Vice President Muhammad Mokhber will be the next in line for the president.

The President's alleged helicopter crash location was visible in footage that the state-run IRNA posted early on Monday. It was located across a steep valley in a range of green mountains. Speaking in the vernacular, the soldiers exclaimed, "There it is, we found it."

Shortly after, state TV reported, "There is no sign of life from people on board."

According to CNN, which cited Iranian media, there were nine persons on board the helicopter: Raisi, Abdollahian, three Iranian officials, an imam, and members of the flight and security teams. Malek Rahmati, the governor of the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, was one of the three officials.

Due to challenging weather, including thick fog and bitter cold, search operations for the crash site in the East Azerbaijan region proceeded through the night and into Monday morning.

According to The Telegraph, one of Turkey's 'Akinci' drones that was dispatched to assist with the rescue efforts had supposedly located a "source of heat suspected to be wreckage" of the helicopter. Iranian media said that emergency personnel were dispatched to the 'Tavil' location after a burning spot was discovered.

Iranian authorities had received the coordinates from the Turkish drone.In addition to Turkey, Russia intends to support the search effort at the crash site by sending 50 experienced mountain rescuers and specialised aircraft. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order, according to Iranian official news agency IRNA, for the dispatch of two specially designed helicopters from Armenia to the location.

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